


One Minute I Held the Key

by Whiteon



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Canon-Typical Violence, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt Jason Todd, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Jason Todd, Sick Character, Sickfic, royal au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 37,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whiteon/pseuds/Whiteon
Summary: Royal AU no one asked for but I wanted to write anyway :DSummary:Dick is a prince, adopted son of the King of Gotham, Bruce Wayne. Everything goes to south, when King Luthor invades Gotham, and Bruce orders Dick to escape the kingdom while he still can. On the run, Dick gets trapped and injured, and is saved by a young man, named Jason.Now Dick must learn how to live in a small village, while hiding his identity.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 226
Kudos: 320





	1. Being Royal Sucks

Being royal sucked. A lot. At least in Dick’s opinion. Being prince was quite tasking. 

Sure there were some perks, like warm bed and food on the plate, chance to learn sword fighting and library full of books from all over the world. But there were some things he hated with passion.

The huge parties with stiff dancing and way too loud, boring music, annoying and selfish nobles and uncomfortable suits, just to name a few. 

And then there were the assasination attempts, incompetent advisors, and the current problem the kingdom of Gotham was facing; invading armies.

Apparently the King of the neighbouring kingdom, Lex Luthor had different plans for Gotham. But the people of Gotham were not happy with that, and rather happily decided to fight back, led by their righteous King, Bruce Wayne, Dick’s adoptive father. And knowing him, Gotham would never be conquered by the Bald King, as the citizens of Gotham called him. Bruce was smart, and an amaizing fighter. 

Dick really couldn’t understand why the "Bald King" wanted to take Gotham. Yes, Gotham was rich with resources, full of intelligent people and innovators, and its biggest city was located next to the sea, but it was rugged land with harsh nature. Very different from the open meadows of Metropolis for example. 

Well, who knew how the crazy ones thought? 

At first, Dick hadn’t been worried at all. Bruce said that he had everything under control, as usually. There was no need for either of them to go to the front lines. Bruce did go check up on them every now and then, to make sure things went smoothly and to raise the soldiers’ morale and spirit. 

But as things do in Gotham, this as well went eventually badly. The enemy lines started to move forward the capital and the end result seemed more bleak than ever before.

“Just let me go join!” Dick begged, as he walked after his father along the long and cold castle corridors. “I can help! I'm a better fighter than any normal knight!” 

Bruce stopped and turned to face him sharply. 

“No, you will not. That’s final,” Bruce said, expression tight. 

“No explanation?” Dick asked, glaring at him just as fiercely, just like learned from the man in front of him. He wanted to argue, make Bruce see things his way, even though a part of him knew it was hopeless. The last time he won an argument with Bruce was years ago, when Dick was still a child. Back then it was easy. 

“No.” Bruce turned away and kept walking. 

Still fuming, Dick followed him towards the front doors of the castle. The messenger form the front lines should be there by now, bringing the latest news from the battlefield. How many were dead form each side, how much food and medical items should be sent and most importantly, had the line moved closer, or further? 

Dick pulled his royal blue cape tighter around himself. Due to the war, the castle wasn’t kept as warm as usually, as they tried to save resources. The sun didn’t warm the stones yet, summer still far away. But now there was no time to wait around for summer. 

The messenger was already waiting for them, awkwardly shifting form one leg to another. Shoulders tense, eyes tired and bloodshot. There was a bandage around his left forearm and a physician just left his side with bloody towels and other medical tools.

“Report,” Bruce ordered immediately as he stepped outside. 

The messenger flinched but didn’t hesitate and started to talk.

“The front lines aren’t holding much longer, your majesty. The enemy is nearing the capital quickly, even as we speak. They’ve become even more aggressive with their tactics!” The messenger spoke quickly, gesturing with his hands as he did. 

“How long until they’re here?” Bruce asked, face darkening. Dick rarely saw him like this. But he could understand why; his own gut felt tight with worry. 

“Two to three days, your majesty.” 

Bruce took a deep breath and turned to the servant next to him. 

“I want all the advisors and high ranking knights into the throne room right now.” 

Dread had filled the castle with its foul smell as soon as Bruce had given the order. Now everyone who had been nearby enough to hear knew that things would only get worse, until they got better. 

And they were right. 

That same evening, the rest of the knights of Gotham retreated back inside the city walls to defend it. 

Just two days later, the enemy army was knocking on their doors. 

And that afternoon was when Bruce pulled Dick aside, and told him to run. 

“What the hell Bruce?!” Dick stared at his father. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. There was no way that Bruce just suggested that. No, ordered. 

“Take a horse, leave at dusk and don’t look back. I had a cook pack you food, manservant clothes and all the important things from your room and a stableboy should be ready with Night outside, and show you how to get out of the city without getting caught.”

Dick opened his mouth to protest but no words came out. The expression on his father’s face was sad but determined. 

“If there’s something I’m going to save, it’s you, chum,” Bruce said and pulled Dick into a warm hug. 

Tears stung his eyes, as Dick wrapped his arms around his father. 

“I can’t leave you, and Alfy!” He said against Bruce’s shoulder, trying to hide there like had done as a child and had had a nightmare.

“We’ll be fine, Dickie.” Bruce hugged him tighter and pet his head gently. Dick felt like he was nine again. 

“It won’t be forever. We _will_ win this war, and then you can come home.” 

“You don’t know that,” Dick whispered.

“I don’t. But I believe.” Pulling back, Bruce gave Dick a firm nod. 

“Go.” 

With one last hug and silent tears falling down his cheeks, Dick said goodbye to his dad, not sure if he was going to ever see him again. 

Avoiding the enemy army turned out to be harder than Dick thought, as he rode through the rocky forest. There was a lot of loose rocks and sticks on the forest floor. Being quiet wasn't easy. He was thankful that his loyal and strong horse, Night, was with him. The mare was a gift from Bruce when Dick was ten, and had served and been his friend ever since, for the last decade.

The enemy army didn’t notice him, but it took great effort from Dick to stay on the small path and not just storm in there and take them all down. It was their fault that he had to leave his family behind. It was tehir fault he might lose his family the second time. 

But Dick felt like Bruce had a plan he couldn’t pull through if Dick was around. Without anything else to believe in, Dick believed in that thought. Holding back tears and his anger, Dick rode on.

As soon as he was out of the enemy’s range of hearing and vision, Dick encouraged Night to gallop. He had no direction, just somewhere far away from Gotham and Luthor’s reach. 


	2. The Setting Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick keeps going, trying to reach a safe place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not known for my great chapter summaries....

The sun was already fading behind the mountains, wind blowing cold from the sea, making Dick shiver despite the winter cloak over his shoulders. The leaves and bushes rustled along with the winds, making Dick glance around every now and then, afraid that someone was following him. But the road and forest around him stayed empty of any other life.

The night was about to fall and he had no idea where he was or if he could make it safely through the night. He had heard wolves about an hour or two ago. 

It had been a week since he left Gotham, heading South along the coast. So far he hadn’t been to a single village, which was a bit odd. Then again, he didn’t remember any reports about trading with fishing villages towards the South, only from the North. 

Only little food was left, and Dick was exhausted, unable to really sleep due to paranoia. He had tried to hunt but so far he had only seen a few baby rabbits, which he didn’t have the heart to go after. Dick had been able to get a few fishes but they too were quite small and not very fulfilling. 

Sighing, Dick dropped down from Night and patted her neck. 

“As soon as we’ll find a village, I’ll get you apples or carrots, I promise,” Dick whispered and led the horse to the forest from the road. 

Deeming the small clearing as a good place to stop for the night, Dick tied Night to a 

nearby tree and grabbed the saddle and the bags off her. After brushing her, Dick made a small fire and settled in for the night, trying to keep the cold away and maybe catch a few hours of sleep. 

Sound of an arrow being shot and what sounded like a bird cry caught Dick’s attention the next day. 

He’d just entered another forest, blocking his view of the sea on his right with thick trees. The sounds came from that side. 

Quickly, Dick got off of Night and slowly led her forward, eyes glued to their right. Now he could hear rustling of leaves and sticks snapping under someone’s weight, as someone walked in the forest, just out of view for now. They didn’t sound to be in a hurry, instead the pace was quite slow and relaxed. 

The sun was already setting again, so the shadows of the trees made it impossible to see far, and Dick could only see a shadow of a man walking between the trees, safe distance away. The steps sounded like they were walking past, instead of towards Dick and Night. 

Relieved, Dick waited for the person to pass and get far enough ahead to avoid making contact. Just to be safe, Dick led Night away from the road and into the forest on his left. The undergrowth was much lighter and it made it easier to move quietly. Also the trees were much sparser than on the other side of the road, but still offering some kind of cover. 

Dick waited patiently for the person to completely disappear from his line of sight and their steps to fade away. They were most likely a hunter. The first sound clearly came from using a crossbow, and they walked in the heavy undergrowth instead of the road, probably looking for their prey. 

Dick too knew how to hunt, and had gone on a few hunting trips with Bruce, when he was still a teen. Bruce had been younger and much more relaxed back then. Making jokes and taking his time to teach Dick how to choose his prey, how to shoot with a bow and a crossbow. Even how to gut the caught prey. Once they got back home, Alfred would make stew or roast the haul of the trip. It always tasted delicious. Alfred really could do anything.

Thinking about his dad and kind-of-a-grandad made Dick’s chest feel tight. He tightened his grip on Night’s reins, knuckles turning white, trying to hold back the bubbling emotions. 

_ They’re fine, they’re fine. Bruce is too smart to get caught or killed. And he’d make sure Alfred would be safe, too, _ Dick thought and denied all the other voices in his head telling him that logically thinking they both were probably dead by now. 

Shaking his head, Dick pulled himself out of his thoughts and scanned the area around him. The forest was quiet, wind dying down and leaving the trees, mostly spruce and pine trees, eerily still and unmoving. The sun was painting the sky pink and light violet, occasional birds seeming black against the canvas. The maybe-hunter from earlier was most likely already long gone. 

“A Hunter…. There has to be a village close by!” Dick felt hope for the first time since leaving Gotham, the long week on the road. 

“C’mon girl, we must be close to a town or village!” 

With new found energy, Dick started to pull Night behind him, towards the direction he’d seen the hunter go. They returned to the road and Dick continued on by foot this time. He didn’t want to overwork Night, when they were so close to what hopefully was safety. 

Dick realised that he’d have to come up with a fake name and hide anything that could indicate that he was either from Gotham and royalty. His current clothing should be fine and Night wasn’t wearing her usual decorated harness. Just plain light brown ones. 

Lost in his thoughts, and due to the dark, Dick failed to notice the odd circle on the side of the road, right in front of him.

_ Clank! _

Dick felt piercing pain in his left ankle, flashing through his whole body in quick motion before settling just to his leg. He was sure he heard a crunchy sound as well. 

A loud gasp escaped his mouth, turning into a string of curses and rough breaths. His legs gave up under him, causing him to fall on one knee. Shivers ran down his spine but tears burned his eyes.

It took him a moment to identify what he had stepped in, but then it made sense. 

A bear trap. 

The wound bled worryingly fast and Dick already felt lightheaded. Blind hands tried to find a way to get it off his leg. He knew for sure how to open bear traps, but his queasy head refused to cooperate and left his hands completely useless.  _ Stupid. _

Instead of trying to get out, Dick concentrated on stopping the blood flow by wrapping his hands around where the steel penetrated into his ankle. He wasn't sure how it would hep but there was nothing else he could do.

Next to him, Night neighed nervously, knowing that something was wrong with her owner. Then her gaze was directed somewhere else, and she started to make louder noises. 

“Shush Night!” Dick tried to calm the horse with his voice, but he wasn’t sure how to actually make her quiet down. They didn’t need wolves or other predators to find them on top of this. 

Dick felt sweat roll down his forehead as he gritted his teeth. The blood flow refused to stop. He tried to reach for some kind of cloth in Night’s saddle bag but the horse had moved further away from him, out of reach, as she continued to make noise. 

Again, his attention was caught by an odd sound. Or maybe not so odd. It was footsteps, quick ones. And closing in. 

It took Dick way too long to put it together, but eventually he realized that someone was running towards them. When Dick glanced up to the direction of the steps, he could see a light, getting closer and closer.

And then it disappeared, as the complete darkness and silence took over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and constructive criticism are very welcome!❤ Might get you new chapters quicker👀


	3. To The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick gets saved by a knight, wait no, a hunter? 
> 
> We'll get to the interesting stuff soon, I promise👀

Jason enjoyed his quiet life in the small village, Waltou. It was located close to the sea, and not too far away from the border between the kingdom of Bludhaven and Gotham. The scenery around was beautiful and lush with deciduous trees and colorful flowers. The area was a physician’s paradise, filled with all kinds of plants used for medicines. The spring wind from the sea could be cold, but summers were warm. 

Life was easy but never boring. 

Jason returned to the village a couple of years ago and offered his services as the town’s guard and protector, occasionally accompanying people to visit the capital city for annual errands. Hunting was also one of Jason’s specialties and as the only hunter of the village, the people were happy to have him around again. 

The main resource of the village was fishing as it was so close to the sea. They were a pretty self sustaining town, so they didn’t have to depend on the outside world too much. There was a physician, merchants, farmers, blacksmith and so on, all kinds of practitioners.

Today, Jason had gone out to hunt. Birds, especially. The rabbit population wasn’t doing so great this year, so Jason decided that it was better to leave them alone, for the sake of the future. 

The luck was on his side and by evening he had managed to get quite a catch. But not too much to throw the balance of the forest. There was still plenty of different kinds of birds. He’d managed to get a couple of hazel hens and two black grouses. 

At one point, closer to the sunset, Jason thought he heard a horse neigh on the nearby road. But as he looked around, he saw nothing, and decided that it was just something else. The forest was full of life from tiny mice to big bears. 

Jason wondered if the bear traps were still out there, the ones he’d set up a year or two ago. 

As the sun had already gone down, Jason returned to the road and was just about to head towards the village, when he definitely heard a horse neigh, loud and distressed. 

Grabbing an unlit torch from his belt, Jason lighted it up and started to run towards the sound. There were no wild horses around so there most likely was a person as well. It didn’t matter if they were bandits or travellers, Jason knew it was best to check it out. It was his responsibility to keep the village safe.

The neighing grew louder and louder. Jason almost ran into the horse, because it was black and blended into the night. He managed to stop right in front of it. 

“Easy buddy, easy!” Jason dropped the birds and the torch on the ground, far enough so the horse wouldn’t step on them. Slowly, he reached for the reins. 

Surprisingly, the horse calmed down a bit and let Jason get close. 

“Good horse,” Jason smiled and pet the horse's muzzle gently. The horse was beautiful, clearly a fine breed. 

Now that the horse was calmer, Jason took a look around and immediately noticed the lump on the ground. 

It looked like a person.

Quickly, Jason grabbed the torch he’d left on the ground and used it to see better.

Jason first noticed how absolutely gorgeous the young man on the ground was. Next he noticed how pale his face was, despite his skin clearly being tanner. Something was clearly wrong. 

After a quick scan, Jason noticed that the man was trapped. Somehow, the guy had managed to step on a bear trap.

“Ah, there’s one,” Jason hummed. 

As gently as he could, Jason opened the trap and pulled the trapped ankle out. He grimaced at the sight of it. The skin was badly torn and there was a lot of blood. No wonder the handsome stranger was so pale and fainted. 

Jason wrapped the leg quickly, and for ones he was glad he carried bandages with him all the time. The lack of any kind of reaction from the man was worrying, but Jason had no time to dwell on it. 

Once he was done with that, Jason stood up and glanced at the horse. He himself was on foot, and the village wasn't far, but it would be faster on horse.

“What do you say buddy, will you let me on to save your owner?” Jason asked the horse, petting its neck. 

He got a single neigh as an answer. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” 

Jason bent down, slipped one hand under the man’s knees and the other his back, and lifted him up. The guy really was pretty. 

_Not the time,_ Jason thought to himself. 

***********************************************************************

Consciousness was a fleeting thing. Every now and then, Dick could feel the pain and nausea, as his body was being carried (At least it felt like that. Like when he was tiny and Bruce would carry him to bed, after Dick fell asleep on his lap while Bruce had tried to work). 

And then it was gone, for what seemed like a second, but probably was a lot more than that. 

Once it felt like he was on a horse. Dick hoped that Night was alright. 

Dick lost the count by the time he heard two voices when he woke up. Something soft, ( _a pillow?)_ , was under his head and there was something heavy on top of him. It was also warm so he didn’t comply. The pain in his left ankle was still there, but it was muted.

Keeping his eyes closed, Dick tried to focus on the voices. One was clearly a guy, the other sounded like an older woman. Neither of them were familiar, which Dick decided was a good thing. Smaller chance that they’d recognize him. 

“Was the bear trap rusty?” the woman’s voice asked. Her voice was closer, somewhere on his left. 

“Didn’t look, but I bet it was. It was one of the four I put out in the forest a few years ago,” the man said from the other side of the room. 

A sigh escaped the woman’s lips. 

“I cleaned the wound but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of an infection.” 

“So he’s dead?” 

“No, of course not Jay,” the woman deadpanned. 

“You never know. Infection is never good, right?” 

Dick felt the familiar pull of unconsciousness, and the rest of the conversation started to fade away. He wanted to know more about where he was and who these people were, but for now it seemed like they didn’t mean any harm to him. Allowing the sleep to take him, Dick fell into the darkness again. 

*************************************************

The next time Dick woke up, his head felt clearer but he was nauseous. The pain in his ankle wasn’t too bad. 

The sound of a pen on paper came from his right. Dick opened his eyes and turned his head towards there. 

The room was bright, decent sized window letting in the sunlight from the outside. In front of it there was a table and a woman sitting on the chair, her back to Dick, as she wrote something down. She had long, grey hair tied up and dark brown shali over her shoulders. 

Dick let his eyes wander around the room, taking in the contents. The woman was clearly a physicist, if the dozens of bottles and cabinets filled with medical tools were anything to go by. She was definitely the woman from before. There was no sight of the man who he had heard and who most likely was the one who found Dick. 

In the corner, next to the only door in the room, Dick saw his bag and cloak neatly placed. He really hoped that Night was somewhere close by and safe as well.

“Good morning,” a gentle voice said and Dick quickly turned his head to the right. The quick motion was a mistake, because he could immediately feel the bile raise. 

The woman seemed to notice, as she stood up, grabbed a bucket from and held it in front of him. Dick grabbed the edges and threw up into it. It was mostly watery bile, until he was just retching without anything coming up. He felt the woman’s hand on his back, rubbing it gently.

“Easy,” she whispered. 

After Dick finally felt like he wasn’t going to throw up anymore, he lifted his head away and took a deep breath.

“Better?” 

“Yeah, thanks.” 

The woman stood up and brought the bucket next to the door before returning back to him. 

“I’d like to check you over, is that alright? Mostly for fever and your neck for inflated lumps.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Dick said and gave her a shaky smile. There was no need to be rude and he felt like he could trust her. 

The woman smiled back and placed the back of her hand on Dick’s forehead.

“My name is Leslie Thompkins. I’m the local physicist.”

“I’m Dick, short for Richard.” Dick realized his mistake too late. He’d meant to come up with a fake name. Well, it was a common name. 

“Nice to meet you, Dick.” Leslie smiled at him and moved her hand to the back of his neck. 

“You’re a bit warm. The infection might be setting in,” Leslie said. Now her hands were feeling the sides. “No inflation, which is good.” 

“Yey,” Dick chuckled. Leslie reminded him of Alfred. The thought of the older man sent a wave of sadness through him. Dick missed him a lot. And Bruce too.

“I had a horse, do you know if she’s okay?” Dick asked, concentrating on the present.

Leslie smiled reassuringly and pulled her hands away. 

“She’s okay, Jason brought her to the stables, and said that he’ll look after her for you. You can rest easy, he’ll take good care of her.”

Dick sighed with relief. 

“Good, she’s really important to me.” 

“She did save your life by making a lot of noise. Caught Jason’s attention.”

“I owe her so many treats,” Dick said and smiled, feeling warm inside. He was so proud of Night.

Leslie returned from the table, where she had been, and handed Dick a cup with water. Dick took it, grateful, and thanked her. 

“Small sips,” Leslie ordered gently. 

Dick nodded and tried to hide a grin. 

“Try to rest, there’s time to talk and answer all the questions you probably have later,” Leslie said. “I’ll get you something to eat soon.” 

“Thank you, really.” 

Leslie smiled again and exited the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a bit carried away writing this and it ended up about twice as long as the usual chapters XD Did you like it?👀


	4. "Out of Convenience"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick meets his saviour. A lot of laughing happens.

Later that evening, Leslie filled Dick in on where he was. 

“I’m in Bludhaven?” Dick asked just to be sure he heard right. 

Leslie nodded. 

“Yes, but not far from the border. The name of this village is Waltou. But we are mostly an independent and a bit isolated from the rest of the kingdom.” 

“You don’t get many travellers?” 

“No, very rarely. The mayor dislikes outsiders. He doesn’t trust them,” Leslie explained. “Since you were injured when Jason brought you here, he allowed it. But you can’t stay for long, maybe a day longer, I’m afraid.” 

Dick sighed. He had really hoped to be able to stay. This village’s location was perfect. In a different kingdom, near the border, but far enough away to be safe from Luthor. Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t properly healed yet. Continuing the travelling was going to be difficult. Dick doubted that he’d get any supplies from here either, if the mayor was as strict as he sounded. 

“How far is the next town?” 

“Three weeks walk, maybe two with a horse, if you continue deeper into the kingdom of Bludhaven.” Leslie gave him a sympathetic smile. 

Dick groaned and slumped back against the headboard. There was no way he was going to make it. Maybe he should move a few days away from this village and build a camp to live in. Try to hunt and fish for food and hope no one found him. 

The door to the room opened and both Dick and Leslie turned towards it. A  _ very _ handsome young man, maybe Dick’s age, stepped in. He had short, black hair with white on his bangs, and he wore a red shirt with a dark leather coat over it. He was the rugged kind of handsome with sharp features and piercing teal eyes. 

Dick’s cheeks felt a little warm.

“Am I interrupting?” The man asked, first glancing at Dick, then his eyes quickly moved to Leslie.

“Not at all.” Leslie smiled and gestured to him to step in.

“Dick, this is Jason. The one I mentioned earlier.”

Jason bowed to him with a playful grin. Dick rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile.

“Dick, short for Richard,” Dick introduces himself.

Jason raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth-

“Don’t you dare,” Dick interrupted and glared at him half heartedly, challenging him to say whatever he was about to say. 

Laughing, Jason raised his hands as an act of surrender.

“Okay, okay, I won’t say anything!” 

Dick relaxed and smiled victoriously. He was used to comments about his choice of name and even cracked jokes about his names himself sometimes. 

Neither of them noticed the way Leslie was looking at them, a small smile on her face, like she knew something they didn’t.

“I took your horse to the stables, and gave her water,fed her. She’s a really fine horse,” Jason said, moving inside from the door way. 

Dick smiled brightly, proud of his girl.

“Thank you, really. She’s really important to me, and an amazing horse.” 

“She got a name?” 

Dick sighed and got ready for some teasing. 

“Her name is Night. Before you mock me for it, I was ten when I named her.” 

Instead of laughing or making a joke, Jason just nodded. He walked over to sit on the chair near the bed. 

“I think that's a good name. Very accurate. And I really am not one to talk,” Jason said, eyes sober yet kind. “I did name my first dog Dog.” 

Dick stared at him for a moment, waiting for Jason to tell him that it was a joke. When the other said nothing Dick had to cover his mouth with his hand, to try and not laugh. 

Jason rolled his eyes but the smile he wore betrayed his annoyance. 

“You can laugh, I know how dumb that was,” Jason chuckled and reached out to shove Dick’s shouler gently, which broke the dam and Dick laughed. 

“That’s so funny and cute at the same time,” Dick said after catching his breath. It felt good to laugh. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had made him feel this,  _ good _ , in a long time. Like things weren’t that bad. 

He wondered if that was a bad thing since he had known Jason only for a few minutes. Sure, the guy had saved him back in the woods and brought him here, but one couldn’t be too careful. But Dick liked to think that he was a good judge of character. 

Jason shrugged. 

“She was a good dog.” 

There was a nice lull in the conversation, but neither of them minded, watching each other. The moment didn’t last long, as a sound of someone clearing their throat woke them out of it. Both of them turned to look to Dick’s right, where Leslie was watching them, amused and mischievous glint in her eye.

“You boys are done flirting?” She asked, and the two men turned bright red. 

“We weren’t-!” Both of them started but were stopped by Leslie waving her hand. 

“Never mind that. Jason, Dick here was looking for a place to stay, but we both know _the rule_ of this village, right?” Leslie turned her attention to the young man.

Jason tilted his head slightly. Dick thought that it was kinda cute. 

“Yeah, depending on which one you’re talking about?” 

“The one regarding outsiders.” 

“Oooh that one. Yeah, what about it?” 

Dick was a bit confused. Sure, Leslie mentioned that the mayor didn’t like outsiders, but there was some kind of rule?

Leslie turned to him, saw his puzzled look, and explained.

“Long time ago, for various reasons that I won't explain right now, the mayor set a rule that if an outsider wanted to join our small community, it would have to happen through marriage.”

There was a long silence in the room. 

Dick blinked.

“So if I wanted to stay, I’d have to marry one of the folks here?”

“Yes.”

Before Dick could say anything else or even really let the idea sink in, Leslie looked at Jason again. 

“Jason, haven’t the older ladies been telling you to get hitched for a couple of years now? You _are_ at the proper age.” The smile on her face seemed kind but for everyone who knew her well, it was something else. 

Jason looked between her and Dick, eyes wide. 

“Are you suggesting that… That we’d get…?” He gestured to himself and then to Dick, keeping his eyes on Leslie. It took Dick a moment to catch up on what they were talking about. When he did, he felt his cheeks grow hot again. 

“If you’re both up for it.” Leslie shrugged. 

“It would benefit both of you. Dick would get to stay, as there’s no way he can make it to the next town with his injury and possible infection. You would get company and someone to help around the house, and as a married man, would get higher payment,” Leslie listed. 

“And the older ladies would stop bothering you about it.” 

Jason rubbed the back of his neck. 

“When you put it like that…” 

All of them were quiet for a while, thinking. Honestly speaking, Dick didn’t have a problem with the idea. Maybe he should but when presented with an opportunity to stay  _ and _ play married with a really handsome guy who saved him like a knight in shining leather and treated his horse right, who was he to say no. 

“I don’t mind, if you don’t?” Dick offered, and met Jason’s eyes with his own. There  was a slight hint of pink on the man’s cheeks. 

“No! I mean, I don’t mind!” Jason said hurriedly, gesturing wildly with his hands, cheeks rose-colored.

“Then that’s decided!” Leslie said and clapped her hands together.

“I’ll let the mayor know that Jason fell head over heals with the pretty young man he  saved and is insisting on marrying him, and that Dick accepted his proposal,” Leslie added and walked out of the room. 

The two sat in silence for a moment, before Jason started to laugh. Dick looked at him, confused, before bursting into giggles as well.

“I know we’ve known for maybe fifteen minutes or so, but Dick, will you marry me?” Jason asked, getting on one knee on the floor next to the bed and taking Dick’s left hand. 

Dick felt his heart beat faster and the blush on his cheeks get worse. He knew this was just a marriage of convenience, the very thing he used to tell Bruce that he hated, but since it was Jason, he was sure it would be fine. 

“Of course, Jaybird,” Dick answered. Jason grinned at him and sat on the edge of the bed. 

“Already coming up with pet names, huh?”

“You can count on it, darling.” Dick winked. 

Jason snickered at his antics.

“Whatever you say, honey.” 

Dick’s heart skipped a beat.

_ Oh no. I fucked up. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started writing this AU, I didn't imagine it also turning into a fake marriage AU. 
> 
> I regret nothing.


	5. Settling Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason brings Dick to his house to get settled.

Jason’s house was surprisingly nice in Dick’s opinion, when he first saw it. A small cottage at the side of the village, made of spruce and stone. Really homey looking. There was what looked like a garden next to the house, as Dick spotted a few herbs and vegetables rise up form the ground. On the other side of the house, there was a small shed, similar to the design of the house. 

“It’s so cozy looking!” 

“Thanks, I guess. It’s a bit small tho,” Jason said, standing next to Dick. He helped support Dick’s weight, as Dick avoided making his injury worse. 

“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” Dick said. It was a nice change to living in the castle with dozens of rooms and halls, with its cold grey stole walls and floors. He’d once asked Bruce if they could cover all the floors with rugs. Bruce had chuckled and explained that as nice that would be, it would make the maids work a bit harder, increasing their work load a lot. 

At the bottom of the stairs that led to the front door, the two stopped. 

“Do you think you’ll be able to get up even if I support you?” Jason asked, frowning. 

Dick looked at the stairs. There weren’t many steps, five, to be specific. But his leg was already aching and he still had a slight fever. 

“Of course I can!” Dick tried to sound energetic but Jason seemed unimpressed. 

“Yeah right, why do I get a feeling that that’s not gonna happen?” 

“Oh please, have a little faith.” Dick flashed a smile and got ready to get up the first step. Before he could, he felt Jason move. He slipped his other arm under Dick’s knees and the other supported his back. With one swift move, Jason lifted him up into his arms bridal style. 

“Wha-!” Dick blinked, surprised the sudden turn of events. At the same time he had to admit that Jason was strong to be able to lift him. Dick was shorter and smaller than Jason but he still had a fighter’s muscles. 

“Isn’t it a wedding tradition to carry one’s bride through the threshold of their home?” Jason asked, grinning mischievously.

Dick hated how Jason made him blush all the time. He was way too handsome  _ and _ suave most of the time. At least during the three hours Dick had known the man. 

_ Bruce would kill me if he knew that I married a man this fast. Even if it’s just a fake marriage, _ Dick thought. 

Jason didn’t wait for Dick to answer, and carried him up the stairs and opened the front door with his foot. 

Inside of the house looked just as comfy as from the outside. There was only one room, and it contained the basic furniture and needs for living. On the far left corner, there was a fireplace and two chairs in front of it. Closer to the door, also on the left, was a dining table and some cabinets. 

A bed with a red blanket, big enough for two, was on the far right corner of the house. Bunch of books were lying on top of it. On the other right corner, there was a tall wooden wardrobe. The floor was covered with three warm colored rag rugs.

“It’s pretty simple,” Jason murmured and carried Dick over to the chair, putting him down to sit. “I spend most of my time outside.”

Dick turned his head around, taking everything in, before smiling at him brightly. 

“I think this is lovely!” 

Jason rubbed the back of his next and chuckled, light blush coloring his cheeks. 

“It’s a home,” he said, shrugging. 

“A nice home,” Dick added.

Jason smiled at him as well, a small one, and turned then to head outside.

“Make yourself at home, I’ll go get your bags from Leslie’s place,” he said before closing the door behind him. 

Dick let out a long, deep breath. 

_ You got this! You have a roof over your head, and so far no one knows who you are, _ Dick thought to himself. He would be fine. What did worry him, was that it had been a long time since he did any housework. As a prince, he pretty much wasn’t allowed to do any. Maids and servants did everything for him. 

“That can’t mean that I’ve become useless,” Dick said out loud to himself.

“I used to help mom and dad out, I got this!” 

Dick took a look around again. He could clean, not that there was a lot to clean. Everything was neatly placed, except the books on the bed, and there was no mud on the floor. It was surprising how spotless the house was, considering that a young man lived here alone. 

As he thought about what he could do to help, Dick realized that there wasn’t much apart from cleaning and laundry. He had never been good at cooking, could barely roast anything on a fire. Maybe he could help out at the garden, pick out the weeds, but he knew very little about plants.

How was he going to explain his lack of knowledge about basic things to Jason, or anyone who asked?

On their way from Leslie’s house, they ran into a lot of people with a lot of questions, like where Dick was from and how did he end up here. He was surprised no one questioned the fact that they just met and already got married. 

Dick told them that he had been travelling around, looking for work. He managed to dodge the questions about where he was from. Jason didn’t ask either. 

The sound of the door opening brought Dick back from his thoughts. 

“This should be everything,” Jason huffed as he placed the bag and saddlebags Dick had on the floor next to the door. 

“Thanks, sorry for not being able to help much yet,” Dick apologized, feeling useless. It reminded him of before he left Gotham. Not being allowed to help fight back. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Jason waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not a big deal, you  need to let your ankle heal. Speaking of,” Jason said and turned to Dick again. 

“You should be resting on the bed for the next couple of days. Leslie’s orders.” 

Dick rolled his eyes and smiled. The ache hadn’t left his leg and keeping his eyes open was getting harder.

“It is late.” 

Jason nodded and glanced outside from the window. The sun was set by now, bringing darkness along with it. A few lamp posts with candles lit up the village outside, only a couple of people out anymore. 

“Do you want to change into something else for the night? You’ve been in those since I found you,” Jason asked, gesturing to Dick’s clothes. They were a bit dirty, Dick noted. 

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” Dick stood up, and Jason immediately moved to his side to support him.

“Give the guy a warning next time?” Jason joked, as he helped Dick to sit down on the bed and then went over to the bags. Dick rolled his eyes.

“The bed was like a meter away.” 

“Still. Which one do you need?” 

“The normal, light brown bag.” 

Jason picked the said one up and brought it over. Dick accepted with a 'thank you' and started to look for clean clothes. From the corner of his eye he could see Jason move to the fire place, lighting it up and then move to the wardrobe, probably to change himself. 

Dick pulled out a white long sleeved shirt, made out of soft material. It was too big for him but he liked it a lot. After making sure that Jason was still facing away, Dick took his current shirt off and pulled the clean one on over his head. The shirt almost reached his knees, so he pulled his pants off, leaving the underpants on. He hoped Jason didn’t mind. 

When Dick glanced back at Jason, he realized with a warm face that the man in question was also just wearing a  reddish shirt and no pants, just his short underpants. Quickly, Dick looked away, embarrassed. 

“Which side do you prefer?” Dick asked, when Jason walked over after making sure the door was locked and the fire was going on nicely. The spring nights could be cold. 

“The window side, I guess?” 

“Okay,” Dick said, feeling relieved. This way he got to be closer to the fire and away from the window. 

As they both laid down, Dick realized how little space there really was. He was close to the edge on his side, but there still wasn’t much room between his and Jason’s bodies. There was only one blanket, but luckily it was big enough for both of them. 

“You’re gonna fall if you stay like that,” Dick heard Jason murmur from behind him. He could feel the other’s breath on the back of his neck.

“I’m good,” Dick said, adding a little chuckle to sound more convincing. But apparently Jason had an ability to tell.

“Yeah, right.” 

An arm appeared over his side, pulling him back in the middle of the bed, against a firm warm chest. Dick was so glad they were both wearing shirts. 

“This fine?” Jason asked.

“Yeah.” 

“Okay. ‘Night.” 

“Goodnight Jason.” 

“Anything I can do to help?” Dick asked the next morning, as he watched Jason dress up. It was still early, and Jason was heading out to go around the village. It was part of his job, as the village’s guard. 

Jason gave him an unreadable look. 

“Actually, yeah.” 

Dick smiled and waited for Jason to elaborate. 

“Stay in bed,” Jason deadpanned. 

Dick gasped dramatically and pouted at him. Jason just gave him a cheeky grin and sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, to pull his boots on. 

“If I come back and find you anywhere else than the bed, I’m going to tell Leslie. And let me tell you, you better listen to her.” 

Sighing, Dick slumped back down. 

“Fine...” 

“Good boy,” Jason said and tossed the blanket over Dick. He hesitated for a moment, before leaning down and pressing the back of his hand on Dick’s forehead to feel for fever. It was slightly warm but not alarmingly. 

“I shouldn’t be gone for long.” Jason stood back and headed for the door. 

“I’ll be fine Jaybird!” Dick sang from the bed. 

Jason rolled his eyes and stepped out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to sketch the interior of the house to be able to write about it :D


	6. The Marketplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick gets to meet more people and him and Jason end up having a bit more serious conversation.

The center of the village was bustling with life. The sky was clear and the sun made the weather warm. Summer couldn’t be far anymore. Everyone in the village seemed to be in a good mood today, chatting with each other as they walked around from stall to another, kids running around with their friends. 

Jason explained to Dick that as it was the third monday of the month, they set up the market and traded goods between each other. Jason had been out earlier in the morning to help set the stalls and carry wooden boxes filled with vegetables, dairy items and sacks of grain. Oh course one could get these any day, but they liked setting up the stalls every now and then.

It was also the day when passing merchants set up shop in the village for a day, selling goods from all over the kingdom. Some other merchants would come over next week but they sold more exotic products, like spices and fabrics. 

Dick had been in Waltou for three days now. He’s mostly spent the last two days in bed or sitting in front of the fireplace, reading books Jason had. It had been quite boring but when Jason was around, they’d talk for hours about everything and nothing. Dick also learned that Jason was an amazing cook. He assured Dick that he didn’t have to cook, since he actually enjoyed it. 

Overall, things were going well so far. 

Now they had just visited Leslie. She had looked Dick over, deeming him healthy and his wound mostly healed, allowing him to walk around a bit and start helping around the house. 

“Can we look around?” Dick asked as they stopped at the edge of the clearing that worked as the marketplace, having just exited Leslie’s house. It was located right on the edge. 

“Sure. We do have to buy some things, like food and new clothes. My coat is falling apart and Selina told me that it couldn’t be fixed,” Jason said. 

“Selina?” Dick asked, curious. He hadn’t heard Jason mention that name before. 

“Yeah, she’s a sewer,” Jason explained as his eyes wandered around the market, probably trying to decide where to start. 

“You need new shoes, too. It gets warm during summer and your boots aren't fit for that.” 

Dick nodded along, taking in the new information. But then he started to run the numbers in his head and frowned.

“New shoes cost a fortune.” At least back in Gotham they did. Not that he’d have to worry about it, but he didn't like being ignorant. Dick had always paid attention to how much things cost. He thought that it was important to know, and now he was glad he had.

Jason chuckled. 

“They’re not  _ that _ expensive. And if we get good quality, they’ll last for years.” 

“Oh,” Dick hummed and followed Jason when he started to walk, seeming to have decided their first stop. 

Dick had to admit that he had missed this. Walking around crowded places, watching people smile and interact with each other. See children play among the adults and have nothing to worry about. 

Guilt stabbed his stomach like a knife. Here he was, enjoying the peace, when everyone he knew back at home were fighting for their lives. 

“Dick? Dick!” 

Dick snapped his head towards Jason, who was calling his name. At some point Dick had stopped walking, and Jason was standing a few meters ahead, looking at him with a frown and a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry!” Dick said, embarrassed, and hurried to catch up with him. A few people had turned to watch them but quickly turned back to mind their own business, like nothing had happened. 

“You alright?” Jason asked once Dick was back at his side. 

“Yeah, just got distracted. There’s surprisingly a lot of people in such a small town.” 

“Big families,” Jason explained. He then grabbed Dick’s hand and they continued to walk. Dick was a bit bewildered by the action and glanced up at Jason. 

“So you won't get lost. And we are “married”, remember?” Jason grinned. Dick couldn’t help but chuckle at that. 

“True, darling,” Dick teased. Both of them laughed at that.

Soon they stopped again, in front of a stall. The woman on the other side of the counter greeted them. 

“Hey Jaylad, how are you?” The woman asked with a warm yet a bit mischievous smile. She had short black hair and bright green eyes. 

“Good. I bet you’ve heard the rumors?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“That you  _ finally _ got hitched? Yes. So this is him?” The woman asked, gesturing to Dick standing slightly behind Jason. 

“Yup,” Jason said and let go of Dick’s hand only to pull him closer to his side by Dick's waist. Dick felt a blush creep on his face. 

“This is Richard Todd.” 

Dick almost choked on his own spit as Jason introduced him by his last name. 

“Nice to meet you Richard, I’m Selina Kyle.” Selina offered a hand over the counter and Dick shook it, realizing that this was the woman Jason had mentioned earlier.

“Nice to meet you Selina. And just call me Dick, it's shorter.” 

Selina nodded and then gestured around her to all the clothes she was clearly trying to sell. 

“What can I do for you or did you just come here to say hi?”

Jason picked at the hem of his coat. 

“Last week you told me this was a lost cause, so I guess I’ll need a new one.” 

Selina hummed and nodded in agreement. 

“It’s done for. Do you want something similar?” 

“Yes please.” 

Nodding again, Selina turned away and started to go through the piles of clothes behind her. There were shirts with short and long sleeves, in a myriad of different colors. Pants made of flax and leather, coats and cloaks. All of them seemed to be good quality, Dick realized as he examined the clothes on the counter. 

“Tell me if you see something you like,” Jason whispered to him. Dick nodded, but he knew he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to cause extra expenses. The older clothes he had brought with him were good enough.

“Here, how about this?” Selina turned back to them and held out a brown leather jacket. Jason took it and felt it out, then took his old one off and tried it on. Satisfied, he nodded and took out a small pouch. 

“I’ll take it. How much?” 

“Nothing. Consider it as a wedding gift,” Selina said and winked. Before Jason could protest, Selina turned to Dick. 

“See anything you’d like? I want to give you something too.”

Surprised, Dick wasn’t sure what to say, so he glanced at Jason for help.

“Go ahead and pick something. There’s no saying ‘no’ when she’s in the mood.” 

Dick nodded and looked around the stall. He thought hard about what he’d need during the summer. Then something under the pile in front of him caught his eye. It was a light blue linen shirt, long like the one he owned but with short sleeves. Dick remembered owning a similar one when he was younger. 

“This one,” Dick said with a small smile as he held it out.

Selina nodded and smiled. 

“Great choice. It’s yours.” 

Dick thanked her and folded it neatly, holding it in his arms. The material was really soft and felt nice against his skin. 

“Thanks a lot Selina,” Jason said once more. “We better get going.” 

After saying goodbye, Jason continued to lead Dick around the market. A few people stopped them to congratulate them on their marriage and they ended up receiving almost everything they needed for free as gifts. Dick felt bad for it but Jason didn’t complain. It seemed like everyone knew Jason and the news traveled quickly.

“Tomorrow is the laundry day. We all do them together, so we can help each other. I could pick you up in the morning and teach you,” a nice older woman offered, as Dick and Jason were buying cheese from her (which they ended up getting for free as well). 

“That would be nice, thank you,” Dick flashed her a bright smile. He was eager to be able to help Jason in some way, since he let Dick stay with him.

“Don't be too harsh with him, Hunnith. He _is_ still new," Jason teased and all of them laughed. 

“I feel bad for getting so much for free,” Dick sighed as they finally made it back to Jason’s house. Dick felt exhausted, and his left leg wasn’t too happy about walking so much yet, so he sat down on one of the chairs. 

“I know, but trust me, they’d just bring all the coins right back. I’ve seen that happen, when Ivy and Harley got married,” Jason explained. “Well I guess that was almost a decade ago.” 

That made Dick a bit curious. So far Jason hadn’t introduced anyone as his parents. 

“Can I ask a question?” 

“Sure?” 

“Were you born here?” Dick asked. 

Jason hummed and put the food bags on the cabinets. 

“Actually no. Capital. After my parents died, Selina took me in, as she was visiting there and raised me here.” 

Dick nodded, not sure what to say. He had guessed that they weren’t around but Jason  seemed… Almost fine with it. Of course time healed at least a little bit but still. Dick didn’t know what to do. 

“Selina seemed really nice.” 

Jason turned around and smiled softly.

“She is.” 

There was a lull in the conversation, until Jason spoke. 

“How about your parents? you don’t have to answer if you don't want to.”

Dick smiled at him, thankful for the out, but he honestly didn’t mind. 

“I was actually born in a travelling entertainment group. When I was nine, there was an accident…” Dick took a deep breath. It had been eleven years, and it still hurt, sometimes more than other times. 

Jason nodded, a sober look on his face, giving Dick his full attention. Dick gave him a bit of a watery smile. 

“We were acrobats. Doing tricks high up in the air. But one day, a rope snapped, and my parents fell,” he continued. 

Jason walked over and crouched in front of him, placing his hand on Dick’s knee. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Dick sniffled and wiped his eyes quickly. 

“I’m fine.” 

Jason nodded, understanding that Dick didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He stood up and went back to organizing things.

“Do you think you’ll be fine going out with the women tomorrow?”

At that Dick rolled his eyes, smiling. 

“Yes Jason, I think I can handle it. Unlike someone, I thrive when I’m with people.” Dick had seen how uncomfortable and awkward Jason was around a lot of people, even if he knew them. 

“Oh shut it,” Jason said, making a rude gesture at Dick with his hand, only to make Dick laugh harder.


	7. The Laundry Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick learns how to do laundry (this fic won't actually teach you how, I'm sorry) and the "just married" couple has their first fight?👀

Early next morning, Dick and Jason got up to gather all the used and dirty clothes, bed-linens and rags into a basket made out of willow. Jason gave Dick one of his shirts to wear since his were all getting washed. He also pulled out a piece of soap from the cabinets and dropped it on top of the clothing on the basket. 

When they stepped out, Jason on his way for his daily round, they found Hunith waiting for them with a bright and friendly smile. 

“Good morning Jason and Dick!” She greeted. 

“Good morning!” Dick said and matched her brightness. Jason was not ready for so much light so early in the morning. Even the sun was getting up earlier and earlier. 

“Morning,” Jason mumbled. “I’ll get going now. Hunith, please don’t let him drown himself accidentally.”

Dick fake gasped loudly and placed his hand on his heart, holding the basket with only one hand and against his hip. Jason found the sight quite attractive and domestic.

“I can swim just fine you know,” Dick said gently slapped Jason’s bicep. 

“So you say,” Jason teased back and then left the two to go to work.

Hunith chuckled at the scene and then turned to Dick properly. 

“Shall we get going?” 

“Oh, yes! Sorry for the wait,” Dick apologized and followed her towards the west side of the village. 

“Oh none of that, it’s so nice to see goodhearted bantering between husbands,” Hunith said with a wave of her hand. Dick felt a blush form on his face. It was slightly odd to hear other people say that, but not in a bad way. Jason was a really nice guy. 

Dick wasn’t sure how to answer, so he just gave Hunith a bit embarrassed looking smile.

It was a warm day, the sun shining on them from above. Gentle wind blew from the sea.

They met up with the other ladies at the docks, where they had plenty of room to do the laundry. There was a separate platform for it, a bit further away from the actual docks with boats. On the beach, there was many lines set up for drying the laundry. Several women were already on the platform with wooden tubs, where they would wash the clothes and linens. 

“Good morning Eliza, Amelia! Morning Rosa!” Hunith greeted the women and many more as they passed them. Dick felt so out of place as the only man there, but he soon noticed that no one looked at him any different.

Dick had never been too worried about gender roles and such, and didn’t think that doing certain things made one more manly or less manly.

“Morning Hunith! You’re Jason’s husband, here to learn how to do laundry?” A woman Hunith had called Rose, asked him with a smile. It was an honest question, and Dick appreciated that.

“Yes ma’am!” Dick said brightly. 

“Great! Really, we should get more men to learn.” 

“Agreed!” Hunith nodded. 

“Most tend to think that it’ll make them seem less like a man,” Dick said with a shrug. “I can’t understand why.” 

“You said it!” Rose laughed and then held her hand out. “You’re going to fit right in here!” 

Later, Dick had to admit that these women were really impressive. Washing and getting the laundry dry wasn’t an easy or light job. 

They carried the water from the sea, boiled it and let it cool for a while before using it to wash the clothes. 

To get everything done easier, they divided the jobs and then rotated them. Some carried and boiled the water, while others washed the clothes, no matter whose they were. The rest hung the washed linens and clothes on the lines to dry and then sorted the dry ones back to their baskets, neatly folded. Each basket was labeled with the name of the person who brought it. Somehow, the women just knew who owned what. Dick was glad that since it was his first time and he didn’t know as well, he didn’t have to do that. Hunith made sure that the clothing he brought, got all washed and at the end of the day was in his basket. Dick was really grateful for that.

Dick mostly got to carry water to be boiled and then a woman named Mary taught him how to wash the clothes. She separately showed him how to treat leather and then the rest. 

“You don’t want to mix them together, so the leather lasts longer.” Mary explained. Dick nodded along and carefully took in all the new information and made sure to memorise it.

Around noon they all stopped to have lunch. Dick had not known that and Hunith apologized for not informing him. Dick told her it was alright, he didn’t mind. All the other women, upon hearing this, gathered a little bit from each, and gave it to Dick. He was ready to shed tears because of their kindness. 

The women reminded him of the maids and cooks from back home. They were all really nice. He hoped that they were alright and safe. Dick swore to take Luthor down himself if he, once he returned, found out that even one of them was gone. 

“How are you and Jason doing so far?” A familiar voice asked next to him. Dick turned around and saw Selina sitting next to him on the grass. 

“We’re doing well. Thank you for asking, Selina,” Dick said politely. He was a little intimidated by her. She was the woman who mostly raised Jason and Dick wanted to make a good impression. He had seen her earlier and exchanged greetings, but other than that, they hadn’t talked yet. 

“Good to hear that. I’m glad there’s someone keeping him company nowadays,” she said and winked. Dick felt his cheeks heat up. 

“You do make a really cute couple,” Hunith agreed from his other side, causing Dick blush harder. The women around him chuckled. Dick felt a bit bad since the two weren’t actually married or anything. 

“Thank you…?” Dick chuckled awkwardly. They were such nice people and here Dick was, taking advantage of that and lying to them. He hated himself for it. 

“Dick? Are you alright?” Selina asked, laying her hand on his shoulder with a concerned look on her face.

Quickly, Dick shook his head and put on a smile. 

“Yeah, I’m good.” 

“If you say so,” Selina said. “But you know you can always talk to us if you aren’t. Especially if Jason says or does something stupis or hurtful. We _will_ beat his ass for you,” she added, winking at him with a mischievous smile.

Dick laughed and shook his head, slower this time.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.” 

After they had all eaten, they continued working while gossiping about the latest news in their respective work groups. It wasn’t anything bad, like that someone had cheated on their husband or wife. They talked about things that Dick remembered teen aged maids talking back at the castle. Dick had loved to listen and gossip with them, often about which stableboy was the cutest or who was the hottest knight around. Or which maid was the most beautiful. The women here had such wholesome topics, like how excited they were for someone who was pregnant or getting married.

Dick did happen to hear, when they passed him, the water carrying group mention his name a few times, but it never seemed to be anything bad. One mentioned how Jason got lucky, finding such a handsome and kind person. It made Dick blush and try even harder to concentrate on washing the cloak in his hands. 

By the time they were done with the laundry, everything dried and folded to their right baskets, it was mid afternoon. Dick noticed that his ankle wasn’t too happy about the amount of walking and kneeling he did. Dull ache had settled in and Dick was exhausted, like he had just gone through a really tough sword practise. 

“Thank you all for your hard work ladies! And our honorary lady, Dick,” Rose said loudly from where she was standing on top of a rock. Everyone clapped and cheered, happy to be done for the day. They still had to go home to make dinner and do other daily chores but the biggest workload of the day was over for most of them.

Dick made sure to thank everyone who took their time to teach him and shared their food with him earlier. Then he walked back to the village with Hunith and Selina, saying goodbye as they parted ways in front of Jason’s house. 

“See you!” Dick said and climbed up the stairs to get inside. Jason had left him with the key, since he’d be home a bit later. Dick opened the door and stepped inside. 

“I should put these away,” he hummed. He put the beddings on the bed, so he could make it in a bit, and then started to put the clothes and extra linens into the wardrobe. Rags and the soap he put into the cabin he remembered Jason take them out in the morning, making sure the shelf wasn’t dirty. Then he made the bed. 

Looking around, he was happy with the results. Feeling energetic, and despite the ache in his ankle, Dick decided to dust the house and maybe swab the floor. 

He found a bucket and a rag easily, but he wondered where he could find a mop. Looking in the wardrobe again, Dick moved the clothes around. His hand touched something that felt a bit like some kind of long item, and he pulled it out. 

It was a sword, loosely wrapped with a cloth. And it wasn’t just any sword. It was clearly a knight’s sword, decorated with the symbols of Bludhaven. Dick had seen a couple and their knights had similar, with the symbold of Gotham. 

_Wow, this is gorgeous. Was Jason a knight at some point?_ Dick thought. Admiring the sword, he didn’t notice Jason enter the house. 

“What the hell are you doing?!” Jason yelled and startled Dick. He quickly turned around, and saw Jason glaring at him.

“I-!” 

“Put it down! You had no right to go through my stuff!” Jason interrupted him and strided over, pulling the sword out of Dick’s hands. Dick was glad he didn’t get himself cut. 

“I wasn’t! I was just looking for a mop or something,” Dick said, trying to defend himself. Why wasn’t Jason listening to him?

“Yeah right,” Jason growled, placing the sword back to the wardrobe, and closing the door. Then he turned to Dick. “I don’t have one.” 

Dick rolled his eyes, annoyed. Tears burned behind his eyes. He was exhausted and his earlier good mood was ruined. 

“Fine. I can go,” Dick spat and without taking any of his stuff, walked out of the house. 

  
  


Jason sat down heavily on a chair, hanging his head low. Maybe he _did_ overreact and should have listened to Dick. 

Tired, he rubbed his face with his hands and cursed under his breath. It didn't justify his outburst, but the day hadn’t been great. 

Once he left Dick with Hunith, he’d gone on his usual patrol around the village. While he was walking in the forest, he ran into an angry snake and almost got bitten. He managed to move it further away from the village and make sure it went the other way, but it was a long progress. 

A little bit later he ended up breaking a fight between brothers, Jackson and Kyle. It wasn’t easy, as the two were pretty hot headed and stubborn, and Jason ended up getting a fist to his chin. The two apologized quickly after that and got an earful from their father. 

Then there was a frothy cattle he helped to calm down, escape artist sheep and a case of missing chicken. 

All this left him slightly irritated and exhausted. Seeing Dick with his old knight’s sword had been the last straw, as he thought that Dick had gone through his stuff on purpose. 

Now more he thought about it, more clearer it became to him that Dick had been telling the truth. The bed was made and everything they had gathered in the morning to be washed was clean and exactly where they belonged. Also, there was a bucket and a rag ready near the foot of the bed, like Dick had been about to start cleaning, even after a long day of doing laundry. 

Guilt pooled inside Jason’s stomach and he stood up. He had to find Dick and apologize. The sun was already setting and Jason had found an empty nest of a bear in the forest yesterday. The bears were already waking up from their hibernation. He’d caught a glance of Dick heading to the forest instead of into the village as he had left. 

Jason had to hurry. Dick could be in danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger! 
> 
> Also, does anyone get what show I'm refering to with Hunith's name? Just curious👀


	8. Finding The Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason goes after Dick, hoping to find him before he gets hurt.

The last rays of sunlight lit the way as Dick strode in the forest without direction. Dry leaves and sticks crunched under his boots loudly as he went. Birds had stopped singing for the day, seeking shelter up on the branches. A small rabbit ran past him, diving into the bushes and disappearing from the view.

He just needed to clear his head and hope that Jason did the same back at the house. Maybe after that he’d be willing to listen to Dick and not make any more hasty decisions. 

_ That’s what I get for trying to be helpful _ , Dick thought bitterly and kicked a pinecone on the ground, sending it flying ahead. 

Earlier warm wind had turned icy by now, and Dick shivered. In his own haste, he hadn’t taken his cloak with him and was still wearing only Jason’s shirt. Definitely not enough to keep him warm as the temperature dropped rapidly as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. 

“Great,” Dick mumbled to himself. Glancing around, he wondered how far he had walked already. His ankle hurt, he was cold and felt miserable. 

_ Things were going so well and I just told that to Selina too! _ Dick sighed and sat down on a fallen tree. 

_ I miss home. But I can’t go back, no yet. I have to stay patentient.  _

Dick sat there, lost in his thoughts for a while before standing up.

“I should get back.” 

Looking around, Dick realized how much darker everything suddenly was. The clouds hid the sky, so he couldn’t see the stars or the moon. The trees around him looked all the same and it wasn’t like he had paid much attention to his surroundings as he walked. 

“Now if I could just remember which way I came from…” 

Dick took a deep breath and tried to get his eyes used to the darkness. 

_ Landmark, I have to remember if there was some kind of a landmark. Weird tree or a big rock, _ Dick thought. He couldn't remember seeing any.

Suddenly he had an idea. If he found the sea, he could just walk south and sooner or later he’d be at the docks. With newfound determination, Dick started walking towards what he thought was the direction to the sea.

Jason cursed as he tried to move in the forest as fast as he could without actually running. The sun was completely gone and not even the moon was there to light the way. He had a torch but he had to be careful with it, because he didn’t want to light the forest on fire after all. 

In his other hand, he gripped the sword tightly. If he ran into a bear, he would need it. 

Jason hoped that Dick was alright. 

Before running into the forest, he had quickly visited Selina and Leslie in case he’d seen wrong and Dick had gone to either one of them. Unfortunately, he hadn’t. Selina offered to stay at his place in case Dick got back at some point while Jason was looking for him. Jason himself wouldn’t leave the forest until he found Dick or the sun came back around. And if Dick wouldn’t be back by then, he’d run right back in. 

_ This is all my fault, _ Jason thought and gritted his teeth. 

Branches hanging low scratched his face and the cloak he had over his shoulders got caught in them all the time. Jason wouldn’t have bothered with it if Dick hadn’t left without one. The night was cold, and Jason knew that if not a bear, then hypothermia could kill a person. 

Another curse slipped from his lips when he got janked back by the cloak getting caught to another branch. As he was trying to get free, he heard a whistle. Not a human whistling merrily, no. That was a fucking bear. And it wasn’t far.

Quickly, Jason freed himself but stayed still, listening. He could hear faint rustling coming from ahead and then he saw a big dark lump moving. Luckily, it was moving away, not seeming to have noticed Jason’s presence. That or it didn’t care.

Jason didn’t even dare to breath, as he watched the huge bear move through the forest floor surprisingly quietly. Had he not gotten caught by the branch, Jason was pretty sure he would have walked right into the bear. 

After the bear was finally far enough away, as Jason couldn’t see or hear it, he slowly started to move again. A little bit later, he could hear a river. It helped him to put himself on the map. 

As Jason got closer to the river, he could see a familiar figure standing next to it, shivering. 

Relief filled him and Jason started to run. 

“Di-!” Jason didn’t get to finish Dick’s name, before he was suddenly thrown into the still freezing river. Thank god the torch and cloak dropped on the sand and not in the water. 

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry Jason! I thought it was someone else!” Dick hurried to help Jason up. Luckily the river wasn’t too deep.

“It’s fine. I think I deserved that,” Jason said and took Dick’s hand, letting him pull him up.

Before he could say or do anything, Dick hugged him tight, arms around his neck and face pressed against Jason’s neck. He was trembling, skin cold against Jason’s. 

Jason wrapped his own arms around Dick’s waist and pulled him closer, before he remembered that he was soaking wet.

“Dick, you’ll get wet too.” Jason tried to pry Dick away, but the shorter man refused to let go. 

“I- I saw something in the forest and- And I couldn’t tell what it was,” Dick said, voice muffled against Jason’s neck. “And I couldn’t find my way back.” 

Jason felt his guilt return. He rubbed Dick’s back, hoping that it was comforting, and held him tight. 

“It’s okay, I found you,” Jason whispered and pressed his face against Dick’s soft hair. “You’re okay, you’re safe.”

Dick pulled back slightly, offering Jason a watery smile. 

“Thank you. For coming to find me.” 

Another wave of guilt went through Jason, but he forced it down for now. 

“Of course I came. And I’m- I’m sorry. I should have believed you, I overreacted,” Jason hoped that Dick got how sorry he was. 

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have left.” 

“No, Dick, you had every right to be mad at me,” Jason said, feeling a bit frustrated with himself. “This is all on me.” 

Dick frowned but then his expression softened. 

“Let’s just go home, okay?” Dick pleaded.

“Yes please, I’m soaked.” Jason chuckled. Then he remembered the torch and cloak on the ground. He picked the cloak up first and wrapped it around Dick’s shoulders. Dick tried to protest but Jason shushed him. 

“You’ve been out here longer.” 

“But the river water was freezing!” Dick tried to untie the knot but Jason stopped him. 

“The faster we get going, the faster I can change into dry clothes,” Jason offered. 

Realizing that he couldn’t win this one, Dick picked up the torch and let Jason lead him back into the forest. Jason was glad that they had run into the river. Now he knew exactly how to get back home. Only they had to pass by where he saw the bear. But it was probably long gone. 

As they walked in silence, Jason tried to come up with something to say. It didn’t feel like he’d apologized well enough yet. He wanted to show Dick that he was sincerely sorry. He wasn’t sure why it bothered him so much. But getting Dick to warmth and safety was his number one priority right now. 

“What was that?” Dick suddenly whispered behind him. 

Jason stopped, and listened. At first he couldn’t hear anything, but then he heard a familiar sound. 

Dick watched him with a concerned look as Jason cursed quietly under his breath and pointed his sword towards the darkness. 

“Jay? What is that? I heard it before too,” Dick asked, carefully keeping his voice quiet. 

“A bear.”

Jason hated how that made Dick went pale as soon as he said that. He wrapped his arm around Dick’s waist, pulling him close.

“It’s going to be okay. I passed one earlier and it didn’t pay any attention to me.” He tried to sound reassuring and it seemed to work. Dick relaxed against him and nodded.

Slowly, the two moved on, torch lighting their way. 

Dick felt relieved as he saw the lights of the village appear. Despite the cloak Jason had brought, he was still cold, and he couldn’t wait until he got inside and to sit down. By now, his ankle was killing him. And Dick was worried about Jason. The taller man had tried to hide it, but Dick noticed him shiver every now and then. His knuckles were white from gripping his sword so tightly. 

When they got closer to Jason’s house, the door opened and Selina rushed to them.

“Dick! Are you alright?” She asked, patting him down. 

“I’m okay, sorry for worrying you,” Dick said, giving her a sheepish smile. He hadn’t expected to see her. 

Selina nodded, and turned to Jason. 

“You’re soaked?” She asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed and walked past her inside. Dick and Selina followed, Dick explaining to her how he’d mistaken Jason for a bandit or something and had thrown him over his shoulder to the river. Selina laughed at that.

“He deserved it.” 

Dick felt bad for it. 

Inside, Jason was already setting up the fire. After making sure the two would be alright, Selina bid them good night and went home. 

Dick took the cloak off and went to Jason.

“You need to get out of these,” he said, picking at the still wet material of Jason’s shirt. He was worried that Jason might get sick. 

“Just a moment,” Jason said and cheered when he managed to get the fire going. 

“Okay.” Dick went over to the wardrobe and stopped. He was a bit hesitant to open it anymore. 

Then Jason was behind him, wrapping his arms around Dick, and pressing his cold nose to the back of Dick’s neck. 

“I’m sorry,” Jason murmured. His voice was small and muffled but Dick could tell that he was sincere. Dick felt warmth in his chest grow. 

Dick managed to turn around in his hold and smiled up at him.

“I already forgave you, okay?” 

Jason looked at him for a moment that felt like hours, his teal eyes never leaving his blue ones. Then he nodded. 

“Okay.” Jason let go of Dick and grabbed clean and dry clothes from the wardrobe. 

After they had both changed, Dick finally sat down on the edge of the bed. He glanced at Jason quickly, he was making them tea, and lifted his ankle up to examine it. Purple colored it slightly, and it was swollen. 

“Shit.” 

Dick looked up and saw Jason staring at his ankle. Quickly, Dick tried to hide it but it was too late. Jason walked over and took the ankled gently into his hands. 

“Does it hurt a lot?” 

“No, it’s fine,” Dick said. Jason gave him by now a very familiar look of disbelief and carefully pressed it. Jolt of pain went through Dick and he yelped. Jason grimaced and apologized. 

“I’ll fetch Leslie in the morning to check it out. Until then, you’re not allowed to walk or put weight on it.” Jason went over to a cabinet and pulled out a roll of bandages and some cooling ointment, and wrapped the ankle as gently as he could. Then he fetched the wooden mugs of tea and sat down next to Dick. 

“Or should I go get her now? If it hurts too much to sleep, I’ll go get her,” Jason offered. 

Dick immediately shook his head and took a sip of his drink. 

“I can wait until morning. It’s not that painful.” 

Jason nodded. They drank their drinks in comfortable silence. Then Jason took the mugs and brought them to the dining table. 

Dick laid down on the bed, feeling even more exhausted than before. He watched as Jason grabbed the sword from where he had left it next to the door, and placed it next to the wardrobe. Then he blew out the candles and threw a few more logs to the fire.

“I’ll explain the sword tomorrow, if that’s fine with you,” Jason said and glanced at Dick. 

Dick shook his head. 

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.” 

Jason gave him a small smile.

“I want to. It’s not a big deal. Earlier, I overreacted because I was tired and had a bad day.” 

Frowning, Dick raised his head from the pillow. 

“What happened?” 

“Just a long day, a lot of unruly animals.” Jason shrugged and sat on the bed on his side. 

“Oh. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” Jason assured and laid down. The house was dark except from the light the ongoing fireplace gave. It was quiet, only sound being the wind outside. 

Dick turned around to face him. 

“Sleep?” He asked with a tired smile.

“Yes please,” Jason chuckled.

Soon after bidding good night to each other, Dick fell asleep feeling safe and warm, Jason’s arm over his middle like every night, to prevent him from falling off the bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so long to write. I hope you all like it!❤ Will appreciate every single comment!


	9. Sickdays And Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason is sick, obviously after falling into the freezing river, and they have a chance to talk and learn more about each other.

Jason did  _ not _ want to get up. 

The sun was rising outside, rays of light bursting in through the windows, as they hadn’t bothered to pull the curtains over them last night. The birds were singing happily their songs of spring, waking up everyone within hearing distance. Including Jason. It didn’t help that Jason’s inner clock woke him up at sunrise, having done so nearly every morning to this day, since he returned from the capital of Bludhaven. 

Jason’s head was heavy and ached. His nose was blocked. Thank whatever deity was out there that his throat felt fine for now. Despite the warm blanket over him and even warmer body next to him, Jason felt shivers run down his spine. 

_ Great. Absolutely wonderful, _ Jason thought as he sat up and rubbed his face with his hands. He was sick but he had stuff to do, like patrol around the village. 

“Jay?” 

Jason turned to look at the person next to him, and he felt his heartbeat pick up speed. Dick was lying next to him on his side, blue eyes half open and still hazy with sleep. His hair was a mess, bangs slightly covering his eyes and framing his face perfectly. He was gorgeous, tan skin like gold in the morning sun. 

“Morning,” Jason hummed, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach, voice hoarse and rough. Dick frowned and sat up. 

“Are you okay?” Dick asked, reaching for Jason’s forehead with his hand. 

Jason took the hand and lowered it down.

“I‘m fine.” Jason climbed off the bed and started to look for clothes. 

_ I should fetch Leslie first, to check up on Dick’s ankle, _ Jason made a mental note and continued to list other stuff he had to do. He’d also promised Dick to tell about the sword, which could wait for a while longer. 

Jason could feel Dick glaring at him, so he turned around to look at him and raised an eyebrow. He was right, Dick was indeed glaring at him.

“You didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?” Dick asked, face softening to concerne.

“I was thinking,” Jason defended. He walked over and moved the blanket to find Dick’s ankle. He unwrapped the bandage and grimaced. The bruise had faded slightly during the night but it was still swollen. 

“Jay, you’re clearly feeling under the weather. Can’t you stay home for the day?” Dick repeated his earlier words that Jason had missed.

Shaking his head, Jason rewrapped the ankle and went to fetch his boots. 

“Can’t really take a day off when you’re the only one protecting the place,” Jason reasoned. 

Dick rolled his eyes and moved to get up.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Jason asked, not pleased by the idea of Dick on his feets. 

Dick ignored him and continued to push the blanket away. Frustrated, Jason walked over and pushed Dick carefully back on the bed, which earned him another glare from the shorter man. The two ended up wrestling on the bed, as Jason tried to stop Dick from getting up. His ankle needed time to heal and Dick wasn’t letting it.

“Stop. Trying. To. Get. Up,” Jason said through gritted teeth. He felt dizzy and tired.

“I’ll keep trying until you promise to take the day off,” Dick said, voice stern and expression determined. “You’re sick.” 

Feeling exhausted, Jason grumbled and got off Dick. 

“Fine! How about this: I’ll fetch Leslie and make sure everything’s going okay in the village, then stay home for the rest of the day?” Jason offered. 

Dick seemed to think about it, frowning, until finally he sighed and let his whole body relax. 

“Okay. But don’t linger too long.”

“Deal,” Jason said and smiled a little. It was kind of sweet that Dick worried about him. 

Jason finished dressing up and then hurried out. He still felt like shit but he could push through it a little bit longer. 

On his way to Leslie’s, Jason stopped to ask the villagers if everything was alright, and to inform them that he was going to take the day off. Everyone he talked to was very supportive and told him to take it easy. They could manage for a day or two just fine. 

Leslie was not happy that he was out of bed while sick, but understood when he explained how else she would have been informed. She gathered a few things into her bag and followed Jason back to the house. 

Jason felt relieved, when he found Dick exactly where he left him, in the bed. Dick smiled at the sight of him and Leslie and greeted the older woman warmly. 

“No more running into the woods at night, okay?” Leslie asked Dick with a serious but warm look. Dick nodded, cheeks red from embarrassment. 

While Leslie treated Dick’s ankle, Jason lit up the fireplace and started to prepare breakfast for Dick and himself. He was too tired for anything fancy, so he just made some porridge and tea. 

“Your turn,” Leslie said as Jason brought the breakfast to Dick on a tray. 

“I’ll sleep it off.” 

Jason sighed when he saw Dick and Leslie give him the same look of ‘nope’. 

“Fine,” he muttered and sat on the edge of the bed. 

Leslie smiled and first felt for fever by placing the back of her hand on his forehead. 

“Doesn't feel too high,” she muttered to herself before ordering Jason to open his mouth. She hummed and then turned to her bag. Pulling out a small pouch, Leslie handed it to Jason. 

“Take one now with food and another in the evening. And drink a lot of water and tea,” Leslie instructed. 

“Thanks Leslie.” Jason took one of the pills and a sip of his tea to wash it down. 

“You two take it easy, alright?” Leslie called from the door as she was leaving. She  received a ‘yes ma’am’ from Dick and two thumbs up from Jason, who had already burrowed back under the covers. 

After the two were left alone again, Dick turned to look at Jason.

“Feeling alright?” 

“Yeah,” Jason hummed and pried his eyes open. “Sorry, I think I’m too tired to talk right now.” 

Dick gave him a small smile and after a brief moment of hesitation, ran his hand through Jason’s hair, pushing back his bangs. 

“It’s okay. Try to get some rest, we can talk later.” Dick slid down himself to lie on his side, facing Jason. 

Jason just hummed in agreement and closed his eyes, letting the sleep take him. 

While Jason slept, Dick read a book. Or at least he tried to. He was worried about Jason and felt guilty for being the cause of his sickness. 

Dick also noted that he felt guilty of a lot of things lately. Causing trouble left and right, wasn’t he? Still Jason had come for him, comforted him when he was scared and cared about his health. 

Holding back tears, Dick placed the book on the floor next to the bed and pushed his face against the pillow. 

A couple of hours later Dick woke up to the bed moving. Lifting his head up, Dick glanced around and saw Jason get up. 

“You good?” Dick asked, rubbing his eyes. 

“Yeah, be right back.” 

After Jason got back inside, Dick noted that he seemed to be a lot better. He wasn’t as pale anymore and his eyes seemed clearer.

“Want some more tea?” Jason asked as he busied around the kitchen part of the room.

“No thanks,” Dick said and sat up, stretching his stiff limbs. He had fallen asleep in a bad position.

Jason finished making his tea and then walked back to the bed, sitting next to Dick while leaning against the headboard. Dick mimicked his position and sat next to him, their shoulders almost touching. 

“I’ll be as clear as possible. I got the sword, when I was a knight of Bludhaven, a few years ago,” Jason said bluntly, but he didn’t look at Dick. 

Dick had to admit that he wasn’t surprised. That was pretty much the only reason why Jason would have one. But he was curious. Knights usually swore loyalty to their kings and were knights until the day they died in a battle or got too old and became advisors. And the real knights were nobles. Jason wasn’t a noble, right? 

“Got any questions?” Jason asked, bringing Dick back from his thoughts.

"How did you become a knight?"

Jason shrugged. 

"I just kind of went to the capital looking for work, found a knight and tried to pick pocket him. He saw some potential in me or something like that, and taught me how to fight. King of Bludhaven isn't very picky when it comes to his knights. Not even half of the guys there were nobles." 

"Huh," Dick said and nodded. 

“Why did you leave? I mean, I’m glad that I met you, but knights don’t usually change their career.”

Jason chuckled at that. He then rubbed the back of his neck, nervous habit Dick had noted, and spoke.

“I got kicked out.” 

“You  _ what!? _ ” Dick was shocked. How on earth did that happen?

“Yeah, long story short, the older knights got mad because I refused to burn down the villages and be an asshole. But they literally couldn’t kill me, so they just kicked me out and told me to never come back.” Jason shrugged and took a sip of his tea.

Dick gaped at him, mouth slightly open. 

“That’s…It’s good that you refused to burn the villages down.” Dick wasn’t sure what else to say for a moment.

“Otherwise, did you like being a knight?” Dick asked, curious.

“Not really,” Jason said, voice low and his expression darker. “One gets enough of killing after a few wars.” 

Dick shivered, mention of war hitting too close for comfort. He knew that Bludhaven went to war with its southern neighbours quite often and had a reputation of being ruthless and cruel to its enemies. It didn’t mean that they always won though. Gotham they had never been able to beat, and had stopped trying years ago.

“I can imagine,” Dick said quietly. “I’m not a huge fan of wars either.”

Heavy silence fell over them, both lost in their own heads, their own memories.

“Have you ever had to kill a person?” Jason suddenly asked. 

Dick swallowed. 

“No, not really,” Dick lied. He was sure that Jason wouldn’t think any differently of him but just to be safe… 

Jason just hummed. “So, anything else you want to know?” 

Dick shook his head. The atmosphere around them was heavy and tense, making Dick uneasy. He felt like he had to do or say something to ease it.

After weighting his opinions for a while, Dick leaned against Jason’s shoulder, hoping to comfort him. Show Jason that he didn’t think of him any differently after the conversation. 

Jason let his own head all on top of Dick’s and he let out a content sigh. 

“Thanks,” Jason murmured quietly, not elaborating but Dick understood.

Later that afternoon, Dick’s mind was occupied with something else. Jason’s fever had raised again, as expected. Dick had gotten up enough to get a rag and water from the well, so he could use it to try and bring the fever down. 

Gently, Dick dabbed Jason’s forehead with the cool cloth. After placing the rag over Jason’s forehead, climbed off the bed and went to get a cup of water for Jason to drink.

“Thanks,” Jason said, voice rough, when Dick returned and helped him to sit up slightly and then held the cup to his lips.

“This is nothing, you’ve been taking care of me and my ankle. This is the least I can do to repay that.” 

“How is it by the way?” 

Smiling brightly, Dick gently touched his ankle.

“It doesn’t hurt and I think it’s not as swollen anymore.”

“Good,” Jason hummed and laid back down.

“Just rest, let me take care of you,” Dick said and tucked the blanket up.

“Thanks honey,” Jason said, smirking and voice teasing. 

Dick blushed but rolled his eyes affectionately. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is going to be so much longer than I planned. I might start uploading a bit more rarely, every other day maybe? Writing every day is tiring and I don't want to end up just stopping and not finishing the fic. I myself hate finding a good fic and not being able to read the whole story. 
> 
> Hope you'll stick around! All the comments so far have been really nice and have motivated me a lot, so thank you! ❤


	10. Bad Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going well for Dick and Jason, until it's not. This time the enemy has taken the form of bad dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting, here's the next chapter! Hope you'll like it! <3

Two weeks passed by quickly, each day filled with chores and light hearted bantering between Dick and Jason. The two had found a nice routine, once Jason was feeling better after being sick and Dick’s ankle was finally completely healed. 

Jason continued his usual patrols and helped out with whatever the villagers needed. Dick mostly stayed at home, doing daily chores like dishes, laundry on Tuesdays and dusting the house clean. If they ran out of something, Dick would go and buy it. He was familiar with the other villagers by now, thanks to the laundry days. Jason also taught him how to care for their small garden. There were some other outdoor chores, like getting firewood and raking the small yard clean after the winter. Dick also made sure to take Night for at least a small walk every few days.

Dick became good friends with most of the women in the village but closest he was with a girl named Raven. She was a bit of a loner, but kind and smart. Dick seeked her out whenever he had free time and Jason wasn’t home. They wandered around the village and talked about all kinds of things. 

“And then he stepped on the bucket and before I could warn him, he was face first on the ground. Luckily he didn’t get hurt,” Dick chuckled as he told Raven about Jason’s accident from the day before. 

“It’s kinda cute how one minute Jay’s all cool and then the next he’s a bit of a klutz.” 

Next to him, Raven smirked, like she knew something Dick didn’t. She wore that expression often.

“That mostly seems to happen when he’s around you,” she said. “I keep telling you, he gets flustered by his handsome ‘husband’.” 

Raven had soon figured it out that Dick and Jason were faking the marriage thing, but she was also certain that Jason genuinely liked Dick. Now she just had to convince Dick about it so they could stop pining for each other. 

“Nah, I’m pretty sure he was distracted by the neighbour’s dog.” 

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes. In the short time she had known Dick, she had quickly learned that among other positive things, he was very stubborn. 

“If you say so. I still stand by my words and think that he likes you.” 

Dick hummed and refused to give her a verbal answer. 

Dick would be lying if he said that him and Jason weren’t close. After Dick learned about Jason’s past as a knight, they had felt more at ease with each other. He still did feel guilty for not being able to be as honest with him as Jason was with him. But he didn’t feel like he was ready to share his identity with him just yet.

But Jason didn’t mind when he dodged or didn’t answer some questions, always telling him that it was okay with warm eyes. It made Dick feel a bit weak at the knees and like there was butterflies in his stomach. But he was confident that Jason’s feelings for him were different, more platonic. 

All in all, Dick was quite happy here in Waltou.

Until a certain night.

Dick didn’t expect it, not after a month of peaceful days. Maybe that’s why it affected him so strongly.

It was a night between Tuesday and Wednesday. He had gone to bed early, tired from carrying water and washing clothes. Jason hadn’t gotten home yet from a later patrol. 

Later that night, around midnight, Dick woke up screaming.

His body trembled and beads of sweat rolled down his spine, making him shiver as they dried on his skin. Tears filled his eyes, nausea and dizziness muting his other senses. His chest felt tight, heart pounding so hard that he feared it might break out. He wasn’t aware of his surroundings at all and failed to notice Jason climb on the bed next to him, asking him what was wrong. 

All Dick could really think, was the nightmare he just had, which was about the day he ran away from his crumbling kingdom. The actual events had been distorted in his dreams. Instead of quietly sneaking out, in his nightmare he rode through fields filled with bodies of his loved ones, tears running down his cheeks, as the invaders chased him while yelling threats.

“Dick! You need to breathe!” A voice next to him spoke, panic lacing his voice. There were hands cupping his cheeks gently, thumbs caressing and wiping away the tears.

Dick took a quick, shuddering breath and choked immediately. 

“Slower, try slower Dicky,” the voice said softly yet firmly.

Trying again, Dick breathed in, slowly, and then out. 

“Good, just like that, you’re doing great.”

He repeated the action multiple times, just concentrating on his breathing. The tightness in his chest eased and his head felt clearer but aching. Dick realized that the voice and hands belonged to Jason, who had returned home, probably just moments ago since he was still wearing his earlier clothes. 

Concerned eyes seeked his, and Dick suddenly felt embarrassed, so he turned his head to the side, so he didn’t have to look.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jason murmured softly, thumbs still caressing Dick’s cheeks. Dick wanted so badly to let it comfort him but he knew he didn’t deserve it. His kingdom, his family could be dead and he wasn’t. The unjust man could already be sitting on the throne that didn’t belong to him.

“Dicky, look at me please?” Jason pleaded, and lightly tried to make Dick turn his head. When he noticed that Dick really didn't want to, he stopped but didn't pull his hands away.

Dick shut his eyes tightly, a few tears left slipping down. 

“I- I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. 

Jason was quiet for a moment, and Dick feared that Jason was mad at him but then he was proved wrong.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to. I just… I want to help, help you feel better. But if you really want me to stop and leave you alone, then I’ll respect that too.”

Dick finally turned his head to face Jason, slowly opening his eyes. Jason’s usually sharp features seemed softer in the warm light of the candles and the fireplace. Dick felt his chest tighten for a completely different reason than before. 

“Come to bed?” Dick asked, voice quiet as a whisper. 

Jason smiled at him softly and nodded. 

“Just let me change, then I’ll join you right away.”

Dick nodded and Jason retreated his hands, pulling his boots off. After changing into his nightwear, Jason slipped under the covers and carefully pulled Dick close. His arm went over Dick’s waist like it often did, but this time Dick thought that it felt more intimate than ever before. He could feel Jason’s breath on top of his head, and smell the forest on his skin. Dick cuddled closer, letting his head rest on Jason’s shoulder. 

The position was comforting, Jason was comforting, but it refused to take away the heavy feeling that had settled in Dick’s gut. Fear, guilt and sadness mixed up into a messy ball of anxiety. 

Dick closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on Jason’s heartbeat.

  
  


Jason watched from further away, as Dick was chatting with Aki, who sold dairy items his husband made. 

It was the third Monday of the month, hence the market. A week had passed since Dick’s nightmare. But Jason could tell that whatever it was about, affected Dick in a bad way. He was constantly lost in his thoughts, tired and had lost his appetite. Jason often woke up to Dick either tossing and turning or awake and looking out the window with a sad expression. He wasn’t his usual cheerful self, didn’t crack jokes or tease Jason when he did something dumb. and oh boy had Jason tried. 

Dick seemed to be trying to hide this all with smiles that didn’t quite reach his eyes or really bad lies. Jason could tell that Dick didn’t want to talk about it, so he let it go but that didn’t stop him from worrying. Dick was depressed and Jason felt hopeless, not being able to help.

All Jason could do was to try and subtly make sure Dick ate, slept and didn’t overwork himself. He came up with excuses to be near Dick as much as possible, which was why he was here, watching carefully as Dick purchased milk, cream and cheese. 

“Dick hasn’t been himself lately, has he?” Selina asked him. Jason was supposed to be getting back a shirt she fixed for him from her but his attention stayed with Dick.

“Yeah,” Jason hummed absent mindedly as his eyes continued to track the other man. 

“You need to try and talk to him. You are his  _ husband _ . Communication is the key, as they say,” Selina pushed. “Something is wrong and it won’t fix itself.” 

Jason sighed and turned to her. 

“I know but it’s not that easy, when he doesn’t want to talk.”

“Do something nice for him. A date, you know?” 

“Change of scenery could do some good,” Jason agreed and glanced back where he’d seen Dick last time. He was relieved to see him still there, now talking to Amelia.

“Get good food, maybe flowers. Try to get him to relax.” 

“Thanks Selina,” Jason said, genuinely appreciating the advice. 

Dick was walking towards them, smiling but not quite. Jason knew it wasn’t necessary but he pulled Dick closer by the waist, to his side. Blush spread on Dick’s cheeks, which Jason counted as a win.

“Hey pretty bird, you got everything?” Jason asked. 

“Yeah, you got the shirt?” 

“Shit.” Jason turned to Selina, who was chuckling and holding the said shirt towards him.

“Thanks,” Jason said sheepishly and took the shirt. 

“Have a nice day!” Selina said as the two continued their shopping trip.

  
  


A few days later, Jason decided to take Selina’s advice and take Dick out for a small trip. There was a really nice meadow not too far away, which should be filled with flowers around this time of the year. He could pack some good food and snacks for them and just spend a lazy day lying around. Do something fun. Maybe he’d get Dick to open up or at least get him to cheer up. 

Jason got up early the next morning, packed a few bags ready and brought them to the stables. Karl, who owned the stables and took care of the horses, greeted him as Jason placed the bags next to Night’s stall. Then he paid Karl to borrow one of his horses, Red, and left to wake Dick up. 

Smiling softly, Jason entered the house and saw that Dick was still fast asleep. He’d been a bit restless during the night but luckily not as much as a few nights ago.

Jason walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, shaking Dick’s shoulder gently.

“Wake up sleepyhead,” he said and chuckled, as Dick raised his head, pretty blue eyes hazy with sleep. 

“Jay? Is something wrong?” 

“No, but I do need you to get up. We’re going somewhere.” 

“Where?” 

“It’s a surprise. And you’ll get to take Night for a walk,” Jason said, standing up to fetch Dick clothes. He picked out a blue shirt and a thin light grey cloak, since the mornings were still a bit chilly. 

Dick gave him a confused look as he pulled his boots on and the cloak over his shoulders.

“So, we’re riding somewhere?”

“Yup,” Jason said, grinning.

Dick tried to pry their destination from him as they walked over to the stables but Jason wouldn’t budge. He was glad that Dick seemed to be having a better day, talking more than he had during the past week.

Seeing his beautiful mare, Night, also seemed to improve Dick’s mood a little more. He pet her neck and chuckled as the horse neighed happily. 

“I missed you too.” 

“You really aren’t telling me, are you?” Dick asked, raising an eyebrow at him, while already sitting on the saddle outside the stables, waiting for Jason to finish trying the bags to Red's saddle.

“Nope,” Jason confirmed once more. 

“Am I going to like it?” 

“I sure hope you will,” Jason said, feeling slightly insecure. He didn’t know for sure if Dick would like what he had planned but he was willing to try. Jason wouldn’t admit it just yet but not seeing Dick smile was really worried him.

Dick gave him a tired but genuine smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd really like to know what you guys thought about this chapter? Anything I could have done differently? Mistakes? What was good? Please and thank you! <3


	11. Flower Crowns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason takes Dick out on a small surprise trip!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was kind of an impulsive decision but I like how it turned out in the end.

As the meadow opened up before his eyes, Dick couldn’t do anything else but gasp, eyes wide with wonder. 

The wind bent the myriad of colors almost gently, and it looked like the flowers were dancing. The view was captivating and filled Dick’s whole being with peace. All he could think about was the blue sky with white fluffy clouds and the sparkling lake beyond the trees further away below them, as the meadow was on a hill. The sun was shining high above the two of them, bringing warmth with it. Birds were singing all around them, beautiful songs of their love in the spring. 

It was a wonderful place to be.

“I- I don’t know what to say, Jason.” Dick turned around to face him, expression so open and full of wonder. “This- This is beautiful!” 

Jason gave him a lazy smile, his pose relaxed. Dick felt warmth fill him completely. He couldn’t take it for much longer, and launched himself at the taller man, wrapping his arms around his neck, hugging him tight. He felt Jason’s arms wrap around his waist, and his nose against his neck. 

“Thank you,” Dick whispered, feeling teary eyed but so, so happy. 

“I’m glad you like it,” Jason murmured, smiling. 

Dick pulled back and gave Jason a blinding smile, his heart hammering inside his ribs. 

_I like him so much,_ Dick thought. He couldn’t really deny it any longer.

During the past week, Jason had been nothing but supportive in his own way. Dick did notice how he would trick him into sleeping or eating, stay close to him all the time with barely convincing excuses. It was really sweet of him. 

And this? This was a cherry on top of it all. 

“What do you want to do first?” Jason asked, but made no effort to move away from Dick.

“I want to make us flower crowns!” Dick said after a moment of thinking, now feeling excited. Jason laughed, full one straight from his belly. It made Dick feel light-headed. 

“Sure, you get started on them. I’ll take the saddles and bags off of Night and Red, then I’ll join you,” Jason said and slowly let go of Dick, fingertips lingering on his waist. It left Dick feeling tingly all over. 

_Maybe he does feel the same way as I do._ Dick stepped back, still smiling at Jason before turning around to walk on the field, trying to decide what color he should make Jason's flower crown. There was a lot of colors to choose from.

In the end he decided to go with red poppies and some pink flowers Dick didn’t recognize, and white lilies of the valley as decor. Then he got to work, sitting down on a small patch of grass, trying not to ruin the flowers around him.

Jason joined him a bit later, having let the horses pasture near them, tried to a tree with long ropes. He didn’t say or do anything, just watched Dick’s hands as he worked, nimble fingers weaving the flowers together. Dick remembered making some long time ago. That day, every maid and a few stable boys wore flower crowns on their heads, all of them wearing happy smiles for the rest of the week. 

“Done!” Dick cheered with a wide smile, as he held the first crown up in the air. He felt proud of himself, having accomplished something. 

“Good job,” Jason said and smiled at him.

Dick smiled back but then his smile turned into a mischievous smirk.

“Dick, no. I don’t do flower crowns.” Jason put his arms over his head. He wasn’t serious at all, and he knew Dick knew that. But a little teasing was never bad.

“Aww come on, it would look so cute on you!” Dick stood up and with the crown on his other hand, tried to pry Jason arms away. Jason resisted for a while, before giving up and lowering his arms. 

Smiling brightly, Dick placed the red and white flower crown on top of Jason’s head. Jason rolled his eyes but smiled back anyway.

“It looks great on you! Red really is your color,” Dick said and sat down next to him, closer than necessary. 

“Thanks?” Light pink colored Jason’s cheeks. 

“You’re welcome!” Dick turned to examine the flowers around them, so he could make one for himself. His eyes landed on a patch of blue irises and bell flowers. 

“Jay, could you pick up a few more of these for me?” Dick asked, holding a bell flower in his hand. 

“Sure thing,” Jason said and started to look for some. 

In the meantime, Dick picked up irises and some more lilies of the valley. He wanted them to match even if the main color and flowers were different. 

Half an hour later, Dick had a flower crown of his own, a blueish one. He was very proud of it and showed it to Jason, who smiled and nodded in approval. Before Dick could put it on, Jason held his hands out and Dick let him take the crown. Dick was a bit confused but trusted Jason.

Dick’s eyes widened as Jason leaned a bit closer and placed the crown on his head. His heart beated faster and a blush appeared on his face. They had been physically close to each other before but this was different. Like the night Jason comforted him after the horrible nightmare. 

“Your highness,” Jason said softly.

Dick swore he almost had a heart attack. His heart skipped a beat and suddenly he felt slightly nauseous. 

“Dick? What’s wrong?” Jason cupped his cheeks and he looked worried.

“I- How-?” Dick couldn’t find the words. 

“Dick, relax, everything’s alright,” Jason murmured, caressing his cheeks with his thumbs. “I- Just thought that you looked like a prince with the flower crown on your head,” Jason added, suddenly seeming insecure.

 _It was- He didn’t mean- He doesn’t know,_ Dick thought, realizing what Jason had meant. 

“I’m fine!” Dick said quickly, feeling a bit embarrassed by the misunderstanding. “You didn’t do anything wrong!” 

Jason relaxed a little.

“You sure?” 

“Yes! I just thought of something else and misunderstood! It's fine, I promise!” Dick said, feeling a bit silly and he started to laugh.

Letting his shoulders fully relax, Jason joined him with a light chuckle.

“Good.” 

Jason took a good look at Dick, with his blue flower crown on his raven hair. 

_Oh._

All air left Jason’s lungs as he took in the sight in front of him. Dick looked beautiful as the sun shined, making his tan skin look smooth and almost golden. Blue flower crown and shirt brought out his gorgeous ocean blue eyes. 

Without thinking, Jason leaned closer. He placed his right hand on Dick’s cheek, affectionately caressing it, never taking his eyes off of Dick’s. They’re faces were only inches away from each other.

Dick didn’t pull back nor say anything. For a moment, Jason noticed his eyes glance down at Jason’s lips. That was all the confirmation Jason needed.

Closing the distance between them, Jason kissed Dick gently on the lips, while carefully pushing Dick on his back on the soft grass. Dick’s arms went around his neck, fingers threading through his hair. 

It felt like coming home, to a warm fire crackling in the fireplace, smell of just baked bread and comfortable hug.

Jason couldn’t help but smile, before tilting his head slightly to the side to deepen the kiss. Dick made a small happy noise and let Jason lead, parting his lips to allow Jason to explore his mouth. Jason noted that Dick tasted like berries they had for breakfast while riding.

Sneakily, Jason slid his left hand under Dick’s shirt, carefully caressing the soft skin of his side. 

“This okay?” Jason asked, a bit out of breath. 

“Yeah, I trust you, Jason,” Dick said, giving him a bit of a watery smile. 

Smiling back, Jason kissed him again and again, letting Dick know just how much he meant to him.

  
  


The sun was starting to slowly set, but the warm still lingered. The wind was gone, trees around them only occasionally quietly rustling.

Dick sighed, feeling content as he was cuddled to Jason’s side, head on his shoulder and arm slung over his chest. Jason had both his arms around Dick’s waist, face pressed to his soft hair. Their legs were tangled together, locking them in place like they were just one person.

They had had lunch and snacks. Now relaxing in the sun, they enjoyed each other's company. 

“Like you probably remember, about a week ago, I had a bad nightmare. It was about my home,” Dick said suddenly, out of blue.

Jason pressed a kiss on top of his head. “You don’t have to…” 

“I want to. Maybe not all the details but in general why I haven’t been feeling myself lately,” Dick insisted.

“Okay,” Jason said and another kiss was dropped on Dick’s head.

Dick smiled and snuggled closer to Jason. 

“In my dream, people close to me died, while I didn’t. And it felt like it was my fault.” Dick took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts.

“I miss them, but… I have to stay here. I _want_ to stay here,” Dick said and turned his head to look Jason in the eyes, a soft smile on his face.

“There are some bad things going on where the people I love are, but there’s nothing I can do to help. All I can do now, is to wait,” Dick explained. 

“I’m sorry I made you worry. I tend to let things get to me,” he added. 

Jason shook his head. 

“It’s okay. Trust me, I get it. I… have nightmares too, occasionally. About past events, people I’ve hurt or… Killed,” he confessed. Dick gave him an understanding look. It wasn’t downright pity, which Jason appreciated. 

“And usually after, I feel pretty shity too, but with help from Selina for example, I can keep going. And I’m here for you, whatever it is that you need.” 

A few tears escaped down Dick’s cheeks as he smiled at him, and Jason lifted his hand to wipe them away. Dick buried his face against his shoulder, muffled sobs being the only sound in the late afternoon breeze. Jason held Dick tight, and allowed him to let out all the pain and guilty he had been holding in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent 20 minutes trying to translate a name of a flower to English.... In the end I didn't even put the name in! I'm talking about the pink flower (Finnish = mäkitervakko, English = Sticky catchfly) if anyone's interested. I think they're quite pretty flowers.
> 
> BTW what did you guys think of this chapter? :D I didn't really have a better plan for the confession, but this felt right. If you have any opinios about it, feel free to tell me!


	12. Feel Invincible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the way back from their date, Dick and Jason run into some bandits.

As Dick and Jason rode back towards the village, the sun mostly behind the horizon, they hadn’t expected to run into trouble. But apparently the perfect day couldn’t end without something going wrong. 

Three men, in dark brown clothes, on horses blocked the road they had been riding along. Two more, in reddish clothes, on foot appeared behind them. They were clearly bandits, if their ragged clothes and fierce looks were anything to go by. Each one was holding a sword or a dagger in their hands, raggs covering lower halfs of their faces.

“Stop!” One of the men in front of Dick and Jason yelled, with a hoarse voice. He seemed like the leader, with confidence attidute. 

“Get down and give us everything you have or prepare to die!” Another one added with a cliche line.

Dick glanced at Jason, trusting him to know how to handle the situation. Jason seemed calm, but had a hand hovering over the dagger that was hidden from view under his cloak. 

“Fine fine, we’ll get down,” Jason finally said, sliding down off his horse. Dick followed his lead and hopped down. He carefully checked if he had his own small knife still hanging from his belt. 

It wasn’t there. 

_Well, it’s not like I need it._

“Now give up your bags!” The leader yelled again, before coughing. He was a big man but quite short. 

Jason looked at Dick quickly, before turning back to the men.

“We got nothing in them. We were just taking the horses out for some exercise.” 

“Liar! You’re lying!” A thin man behind them barked, waving his sword around like a maniac. Dick didn’t like the look of that. Sometimes untrained fighters were more dangerous, because they were unpredictable. Especially when they were desperate, like these men seemed to be. Trained fighters were calm yet easier to read.

“We are not,” Jason said, only glancing at the man before focusing on the ones in front of him. 

Dick was certain that him and Jason could take them, but Jason didn’t know that. It’s not like Dick had ever mentioned that ‘hey you know what? I can actually take three men my size, no big deal!’ 

“Fine, have it your way! Kill them!” The leader yelled, pointing his sword at the two of them. 

Before Dick could react, Jason pulled out his dagger and grabbed him by his elbow to pull him behind him. 

“Stay close,” Jason murmured to him and parried the leader’s sword, pushing him back a few meters. 

Had they not been in the middle of a fight, Dick would have been offended by the fact that Jason thought he couldn’t fight. Now Dick had to concentrate on the men rushing at them from behind. There was no way Jason could fight five men _and_ protect Dick. And obviously Dick wasn’t planning to let that be the case. 

As the first of the two swung his sword at him, Dick easily dodged it and hit the man’s wrist of the hand he held the sword in. The sword fell to the ground. The man didn’t even get a chance to think about retrieving it, as Dick managed to punch him square in the face, disorienting him and leaving his nose bleeding. 

The second, thin man with a small sword, caught his comrade, which gave Dick time to check how Jason was handling the three men. It wasn’t hard as they were standing almost back to back.

Dick was glad he did, as he got to witness Jason disarm his second enemy with a quick strike with his dagger to the man’s hand, before swiping his legs off underneath him.

Jason glanced behind and their eyes met. Dick could see Jason take a look at the wary men behind them, and then grin. 

“Huh,” was all Jason said before throwing his dagger at the thin man, who tried to sneak up on Dick. The dagger made its home in the man’s tight, making him howl in pain.

“Good throw!” Dick said before ducking under Jason’s arm to kick a man on his stomach, as he had tried to get a swing on Jason. The man stumbled back, but another one, the leader, replaced him, waving his sword wildly. Dick grabbed two sturdy sticks from the ground and used them to twist his arm, making him drop the sword. Having disarmed the leader, Dick hit him on the shoulders, then swiped at his legs, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground. The leader didn’t stand up again.

Now two men were charging at him. Dick avoided their sword easily enough, careful that they didn’t get a hit on Jason, who was fighting the two other men right behind him. Blades clashed hard against each other but Jason sounded to be holding his own easily against the two, judging by the colorful cursing.

Seeing an opening, Dick side stepped one of the attackers and slammed his elbow at the back of his head. He went down hard. 

After dodging the other’s sword, Dick punched him in the face. But this one seemed to be tougher, as he continued to stand and rush at him even with bleeding nose.

Feeling Jason move behind him, Dick moved out of the way, before a decent sized man was hurled straight at Dick’s last enemy. Both of them fell unconscious on the ground.

Dick turned to Jason. Even though it was starting to get dark, Dick could see the taller man grin, the last one, the thin man, lying at his feet out cold. 

“Good job,” Jason said. His eyes scanned over Dick’s body, clearly looking for injuries. Dick blushed but did the same. There was some blood on Jason’s cloak, but it seemed to be one of the men’s. 

“I had no idea you could fight like that. But then again, I feel like I should have guessed that,” Jason laughed, walked over to Dick and kissed him quickly. 

Dick smiled and pulled Jason to another one.

“Of course I can,” Dick whispered against his lips, looking Jason in the eyes. Jason stared right back, a hungry look in his eyes.

“We should get going,” Dick said, a smile on his face, and pulled back away from Jason’s reach. 

“Yeah.” Jason’s eyes lingered on him for a moment longer, before he fetched their horses, which had moved further away from the fight. Luckily they hadn’t run off and left them to walk.

  
*********************************************************

Dick felt himself relax a bit, as they finally made it home. The adrenaline from the fight was fading, leaving him tired.

Before he could start to remove his cloak off, hands grabbed him from behind and spun him around. 

Jason kissed him passionately, one hand around Dick’s waist and the other in his hair. Dick smiled into it, letting his own hands wrap around Jason’s neck. 

After a while, Dick pulled back, breathing heavily.

“Can we bathe today?” 

Jason started to laugh, and pulled Dick into his arms, snuggling his nose against his hair. 

“Okay, a bath sounds nice,” he agreed. They usually bathed properly on Saturday or Sunday, but after the fight against the bandits, it was well deserved.

Jason fetched water from the well while Dick started a fire in the fireplace, so they could heat up some of the water. 

Once the bath was done, Jason started to take off his cloak. 

_Huh, I wonder where this red is coming from?_ Jason thought as he saw that the right sleeve of his shirt was red and wet. 

“Jason!” Dick hurried over, having noticed the same. “Are you alright?!” He took Jason’s arm in his hands and rolled the sleeve up, revealing a long cut along his arm. 

“I have to admit that I did not feel that at all,” Jason said, but he was feeling a bit loopy. 

Dick gently probed around the wound before sighing.

“It doesn’t seem to be deep. But we need to wash it and bandage it.”

Jason nodded and removed his shirt, while Dick fetched some warm water and a rag. Dick cleaned the wound carefully, trying not to stare at Jason’s bare chest. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen how muscular Jason was but it felt different now that they were actually a thing.

“Does it hurt?” Dick asked, mostly to distract himself.

“Nah, but I do feel a bit lightheaded.” 

Dick nodded and steered Jason to sit on the edge of the bed. It wasn’t a surprise that Jason would feel that way, since he had lost a fair amount of blood. The sleeve had been soaked. Dick didn’t think that Jason was in any danger though. As long as he stayed hydrated and maybe had some food, Jason would be alright. 

Once he was done bandaging Jason’s arm, Dick took the dirty water out.

“You go ahead and take a bath first,” he said as he stepped back in. 

Jason pouted at him.

“Can’t we take it together? The bathtub is big enough for both of us.” 

Dick felt a blush creep on his face. He wasn’t against it, but he wondered if they were missing some steps here. They did just get together for real earlier that day. 

“Of course if you’re not comfortable with that we don’t have to!” Jason said quickly, as Dick had stayed quiet, lost in his thoughts.

“No pressure at all! I totally get it!” He added, face red and turned around. 

It took Dick moment longer to take the words in.

“I want to!” He almost shouted, grimacing at his loud volume. Jason turned back to him, raising an eyebrow.

“I- I mean I don’t mind! You just surprised me!” Dick tried to explain what he meant. “I’d like to. Take a bath with you,” he added, feeling shy and not quite looking Jason in the eye. 

“Oh, okay,” Jason said, not sure how to answer. Dick was being so freaking _cute_ , his bangs falling over his eyes, blue eyes peeking from behind them.

It was awkward at first, Jason getting in first and Dick following after. The bathtub was big enough for them but they still had to think about how to do it.

“Promise to tell me if I’m heavy,” Dick said as he leaned back against Jason’s chest.

“Oh I will,” Jason teased, smirking. 

“Dumbass,” Dick muttered fondly and rolled his eyes. 

Dick sighed contentedly, as the warm water surrounded him completely. He could feel tension leave his shoulders, muscles relaxing. Jason was warm and comfortable behind him and Dick felt him tilt his head forward to lean against Dick’s head. 

“Comfy?” Dick asked, chuckling softly when Jason just gave him a hum as an answer.

“Good.” 

The silence over them was comfortable and neither of them felt a need to say anything. The day had been amazing and they had learned something new about each other. Dick felt his earlier guilt about them not being a thing fade. Now he didn’t have to lie about liking Jason, because he really did and Jason felt the same towards him. 

Dick couldn’t help but smile, when he felt Jason’s lips on the back of his neck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible at writing fight scenes but I tried my best!


	13. A Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick and Jason get a visitor, about a month after getting together.

One beautiful summer morning, Dick was startled awake by loud knocking on their front door. Panic raised its head in his chest,  _ Luthor’s men found me, _ making him start shaking Jason’s shoulders to wake him up. How the younger man did not wake up to the loud sound, as the lighter sleeper, was a surprise to Dick. Then again, Jason had been up late last night because of the bear sightings. 

Jason opened his eyes as the knocking continued, less frequent and loud, but still there. He seemed to wake up more, as his mind registered the knocking. 

“Who the hell-?” Jason began and looked at Dick, who was sitting up now, worried expression on his face. 

“I don’t know, I just woke up to it,” Dick explained and glanced at the door and then back to Jason.

Standing up, Jason grabbed his dagger from under the mattress and walked over to the door, steps light and body tense, ready for a fight. He peeked out of the window on the door cautiously. The villagers knew better than come knocking like this so early in the morning. 

Heavy sigh left Jason’s mouth, his shoulders relaxing as he slipped the dagger away. Dick gave him a confused look but allowed himself to relax. If Jason didn’t see whoever was at the door as a threat, then it was probably alright. Their bond hand strengthened a lot during the past month, since they got together. 

Jason opened the door and glared at whoever was outside.

“What the fuck are you doing here, knocking on my door even before the sun has risen?” 

Instead of an answer, a red headed man pushed past Jason, stepping inside. 

“We’ll you see buddy, what happened is that I- Who’s this?” The man stopped abruptly, eyes landing on half naked Dick on the bed. Suddenly aware of the fact, Dick pulled the blanket higher over his body for cover. Not that anything had been visible, but suddenly he felt self conscious. 

_ This is so awkward, _ Dick thought.

“Well isn’t this awkward,” the man said, “had I known you had  _ a guest _ over, I would have waited for an hour or two before barging in.” 

Jason let out a small growl like sound and grabbed the guy by the collar of his shirt and pulled him outside, leaving Dick wondering what the hell was going on. 

*********************************************************

“What the hell Roy!?” Jason hissed once they were outside and he’d shut the door behind him. 

“Oh come on, it’s not like I haven’t walked in on you with someone before,” the man, Roy, said while rolling his eyes. “And probably won’t be the last. What’s next, a brunet?” 

Jason massaged his forehead, feeling a headache forming. Sure, Roy Harper was his best friend since ages ago and it was good to see him again, after a year or so. But he could be a real pain in the ass when he wanted to. Always getting them in trouble, whatever it was because he talked back to the wrong guy or made a stupid bet he didn't win.

“Roy, I’m married,” Jason said, staring his friend right in the eyes, hoping that being as straightforward as possible would make this easier.

Roy stared right back at him, mouth open and eyes wide like plates. 

“You're what now?” 

“I. Am. Married. To that guy in my bed,” Jason repeated emphasizing every word and showed the ring in his ring finger. Oh boy was this going to be a ride. 

“What?! No way! The Jason I know would never make such a committed decision!” Roy gasped dramatically and fake punched Jason’s bicep.

“Who the fuck are you and what have you done to him?” 

Jason ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. 

“I’m not joking. I settled down, and got married with a guy I really,  _ really, _ like. I’m not the same guy as I used to be,” Jason explained. “And for fuck’s sake I have never slept with as many people as you’re making it sound like,” Jason added, annoyed. 

“Geez man, calm down. I was just kidding,” Roy said, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m happy for you. I really am.” 

Jason felt himself relax and he rolled his shoulders to unclench them. It then hit him that they were standing outside, sun just starting to rise and he was shirtless. People would be actually waking up soon.

“Let’s continue this inside,” Jason hummed and they walked back in. 

Inside, Dick was fully dressed now, making the bed. He glanced behind when he heard them come in and smiled, although a bit shyly. Jason thought that it was adorable. During the past, he'd gotten to see just how sweet and kind person Dick was. He still didn't know much about his past but for now he was fine with it. Dick promised to tell him when he thought that the time was right. 

Jason gestured to him to come over, and Dick did, stopping next to him. Pulling him closer to his side with a hand around the other’s waist, Jason introduced them. 

“Dick, this is Roy Harper. We were knights together, and basically he’s my best friend,” he said. Roy did a little bow, which had Dick’s heart skip a beat in worry of being recognized. He settled down quickly, as there was no way he would.

“Roy, this is my husband, Richard Todd.” Jason looked down at Dick with a fond smile, pecking his forehead quickly. Dick smiled back at him, pressing closer, before turning back to Roy. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Roy,” Dick said and held a hand out. Roy took it and gave him a firm handshake. 

“Likewise! Glad to see that someone out there could tame Jaylad down,” Roy said and winked. Jason groaned loudly, while Dick giggled.

“It’s too early for this,” Jason said. “I need food.” 

Jason told Roy to sit at the table, as he started to prepare breakfast for the three of them. Dick got water from the well and then started to set the table.

“So, what are you doing here? Just to visit?” Jason asked and placed the porridge he’d been making on the table.

“Kind of? I was kinda hoping you’d come with me to the Lanera town for a bit but I guess that’s off the table.” Roy glanced at Dick as he said that. Dick felt a bit bad for being the one to hold Jason back. 

“Definitely not going anywhere. Especially there,” Jason agreed, sitting down next to Dick and grabbing his bowl, scooping some porridge into it, and then placed it in front of him.

“Thank you,” Dick gave him a grateful smile and digged in, after dropping some berries on top.

“I swear to whatever is out there, if you got yourself in trouble and plan on bringing it here, I won’t hesitate to kick you out of this village,” Jason warned. 

Roy rolled his eyes. 

“Me, in trouble? Never.”

There was a moment of silence as they all ate.

“You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” 

“Yeah, please help.” 

  
*********************************************************

“You know, Roy is your best friend, and he needs your help. I’ll be fine for a few days by myself,” Dick offered as they cleaned up the breakfast. Roy had gone out to bring his horse to the stables.

Jason sighed and finished cleaning the pot.

“I really am not comfortable with leaving you alone.” 

“I’m not that helpless, I can take care of myself.” 

“Oh, I know,” Jason said, voice low, leaning in to kiss Dick. 

“ _ And, _ I can always ask Selina or Leslie or Raven for help,” Dick pointed out after they parted. Jason sighed dramatically.

“Are you that eager to kick me out?” He asked jokingly.

Dick’s eyes widened.

“No! Of course not! I just thought- Thought that you should help Roy, and not let me be the reason you won’t!” Dick explained, alarmed. 

Jason kissed Dick again quickly and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“It’s okay, I was just joking, I know.” He pressed his face to Dick’s neck, loving how he smelled like home.  _ Like his. _

“Don’t scare me like that,” Dick muttered but melted into his embrace. 

“Sorry.”

Dick pulled back and smiled at him. 

“So, are you going?” Dick asked him. 

Jason pondered for a bit. 

“It would take two days to get there and then another back. Depending on how big of a mess he is in, getting it all cleared might take a few days. All in all, it might take a week or longer.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Dick said again, nodding confidently. 

“I know. I’m still going to ask Roy for more details before deciding.” 

Roy chose that moment to walk back in, a bag thrown over his shoulder. 

“I hope you guys don’t mind if I crash here for the night?” 

The rest of the day went by quite normally. Since it was Tuesday, Dick left to do the laundry with the women. Roy tagged along on Jason’s morning patrol. The villagers greeted him warmly as they were familiar with him, because he was known to be Jason’s friend. 

Since it was peaceful, the two old friends caught up and Jason asked about just how fucked Roy was.

“It’s not a big deal. I just owe a couple of dudes a favor, a hunting thing. And I thought since you’re so good at it, maybe you could help?” Roy told him, shrugging like it wasn’t a big deal. And it didn’t sound like one. _But._

“And if you don’t?” Jason asked, knowing that there was always something else.

“They’ll kick my ass and maybe kill me?” Roy said sheepishly. Jason rubbed his forehead with his hand and sighed. 

“For fuck’s sake, Roy…” 

“You don’t have to help, I don’t want to ruin what you got here. Dick seems like a really nice guy. Where is he from, by the way, I don’t remember seeing him before?” 

“Not from around here, yeah. Found him from the forest, wounded from a bear trap, and brought him over for Leslie to treat. That was almost three months ago,” Jason explained. “Love at first sight, I guess,” he added. He trusted Roy but decided that there was no need to mention that it had been a marriage of convenience at first since they were in love with each other now. 

Roy stared at him with wide eyes. 

“Damn, he got you on one knee quickly,” the older man snickered, which earned him a slap on the back of his head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to add Jason's and Roy's friendship here as well! For content and because they're fun to write. 
> 
> Thoughts on that and the chapter in general?


	14. Worrywarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason leaves the village to help Roy out, leaving Dick to wait for him. Dick doesn't cope as well as he himself hoped.

“I’ll be back within a week, Selina promised that you can eat at least once a day at her place and go to her if someone’s or something’s giving you a hard time. Stay out of the woods, the bears have been active around here for-” Jason’s rambling was cut off with a kiss on the lips from Dick. 

“-A while now. Also go to Leslie if you get hurt or feel sick,” Dick finished Jason’s speech, which he had heard twice before. And the sun was barely even up.

They were standing at the entrance to the village, Jason and Roy with packed bags and their horses, ready to go. Dick was there to see them off with Selina. 

“Sorry, I’m just worried,” Jason admitted and pulled Dick into a tight hug, kissing the top of his head. Dick hugged him back, humming a little. 

“I know, I know, but I’ll be fine,” Dick assured him once again. He could understand Jason’s worry, Dick was a bit worried for Jason’s safety as well. Travelling could be dangerous. Not to mention that the men, who had a bone to pick with Roy, sounded dangerous as well. And they didn’t know what exactly they wanted Roy and Jason to hunt from them. It most likely wasn’t a rabbit, he assumed. 

“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Jason said, finally letting go of Dick’s waist.

“Just come back safe, that’s all I ask for.” Dick gave Jason a hopeful smile.

“Of course I will,” Jason grinned and climbed up in the saddle. 

*********************************************************

Dick sat on the edge of the bed of the empty house. Despite being there alone wasn’t anything new, knowing that Jason wasn’t coming home tonight felt odd. It would be the first time after meeting Jason that Dick would be spending the night alone. The first time after he spend that week on the road alone. 

_ Everything’s just fine! If I keep myself busy, by the time it’s evening, I’m too tired to think about it, _ Dick thought and stood up. He had chores to do. 

Dick busied himself with first cleaning the house from the tiniest corner to the roof. It was a well needed deep cleaning for the house. The sheets and clothes were all clean, since laundry day was just the day before yesterday. The dishes from the morning were soon all clean and in their respective places in the cabins. He picked up the books and put them neatly on their places. 

After Dick deemed the house to be clean enough, he glanced outside to the sun. It was almost noon. He had just spent hours just cleaning. He should soon head out to Selina’s place to have lunch. 

Dick felt a little dumb for not being able to cook much for himself. Jason had tried to teach him once, but they did not talk about how that went. Dick was sure that he had managed to traumatize Jason. Now he just stuck to frying and roasting on open fire. That he could do.

“I might as well head out,” Dick hummed and took off the blue apron he’d received from Selina as a gift. He liked to use it while cleaning, so his clothes wouldn’t get dusty or dirty. 

It was a warm summer day, the sun shining directly down, no clouds around to block it. Dick liked the warmth, how it felt like a hug. Too much heat was too much, but this was still manageable. Gotham didn’t get quite this warm during the summer.

On his way to Selina’s house, Dick noted a few odd stares but didn’t think much of them. The villagers were probably just curious about how he’d do, while Jason was out of town. He did run into Hunith on his way, and they exchanged a few friendly words before moving on.

Selina met him at the door with a welcoming smile and ushered him in. She lived on the second floor of the small building, her sewing workshop being on the first floor. 

The living area was lovely, decorated with all kinds of rugs, wall hangings and tablecloths. The furniture were very decorative and elegant looking, almost like in a noble’s home. It was hard to believe that this was in such a rural town. 

Dick glanced down as he felt something soft press against his leg. A black cat was mingling around his legs. Out of nowhere, a second cat, white with orange spots, joined the first. 

“Oh, hello,” Dick chuckled and slowly crouched down to let them sniff his hands, before scratching them behind their ears.

“These are my lovely children, Lena and Kara,” Selina said, picking the black cat into her arms. 

“They are adorable,” Dick said with a smile. A few cats had lived near the royal stables, catching the unwanted rodents and could be seen lazing around in the sun. Dick had liked to pet them when he went to visit the stables. There had been all kinds of animals living near the castle and a lot of different kinds of people who took care of them. Dick had befriended most of them quickly. 

“I know,” Selina said, smiling, and gestured to Dick to follow her. 

“Make yourself at home,” she offered, before disappearing behind a corner to what Dick guessed to be the kitchen. 

“Need any help?” Dick asked, stepping deeper into the living area. 

“No thank you! Just keep petting the cats!” Selina called back. 

“Okay,” Dick chuckled and sat down on a chair. The tabby cat, Kara, jumped on his lap and seemed to demand scratches. Dick was happy to do so. 

As they ate, Dick and Selina talked about all kinds of mundane things, but Dick was especially interested in stories about Jason as a child. He had tried to ask before, but Jason had been close by and with red cheeks, had interrupted them every time. Now was te perfect chance to hear some embarrassing stories.

“Jason was a pretty good kid, a bit shy at first though. He helped around the house and shop if needed. Of course he got into trouble every now and then with some people, but to be honest, they deserved it.” Selina smiled and leaned back on her chair, eyes looking somewhere far in the past. 

“This one time, he saved a miller's daughter from a man who just wouldn’t get the hint. Kicked him between the legs. The guy got thrown out of the village when the mayor heard. Mrs Smith doesn’t tolerate men who treat other people like objects,” Selina told him, a mischievous glint in her eye. 

Dick had met the mayor a few times. She was a very nice older lady, but smart and so far Dick hadn’t seen anyone no listen to her. When Jason had introduced Dick to her, she had welcomed him with a warm smile and open arms. 

“That was nice of him,” Dick said, smiling and feeling a bit proud of his husband. 

Selina nodded and continued to tell Dick some more shenanigans Jason had managed to get into back then. Like the time he somehow managed to cover himself in mud on a rainy day. And once he tried to adobt a raccoon as a pet. 

*********************************************************

Later, when Dick had bidden goodbye to Selina, he headed back home.

_ Let’s see, I could check the garden for weeds, carry some firewood inside, so I can roast some meat for dinner and then I need to…  _ Dick listed the rest of the day’s chores in his mind, before his mind wandered elsewhere.

_ I wonder how Jason is doing? _

Back at the house, Dick proceeded to do exactly those chores he had listed.

While making his simple dinner, Dick managed to not burn the house down, which he was proud of. But it didn’t last long, when he realized that there was no one to share the meal and victory with. Dick looked around the empty house. It reminded him of the first few weeks after Bruce took him in. The castle had felt so big, cold and empty back then. It still did sometimes but mostly it had become a home. 

This house was warm, comfy and not even the size of his own bedchamber back at the castle. 

But right now, without Jason there, it felt the same. 

Dick sighed and ate his dinner while sitting in front of the fireplace, knees tucked up. After he was done, he did the dishes and got ready for bed. He intended to read the new book Jason had bought a while ago from the travelling merchants for a while and then go straight to sleep. Dick had let Jason read the book first and now that Jason had, it was Dick’s turn.

Settling down on the bed, Dick couldn’t help but look over to Jason’s side of the bed. It stayed empty. 

Groaning loudly, Dick grabbed the book and began to read. He tried to concentrate on the words, but he couldn't stop glancing at the door or the space next to him. Eventually he gave up, put the book away and blew out the candle next to him. Burrowing under the blanket, Dick closed his eyes and tried to let the sleep take him. 

It didn’t.

  
*********************************************************

“Stop worrying, Jaylad, your birdy will be fine,” Roy huffed as Jason glanced back for the fifth time in a while. 

“I know! But- Still!” Jason exclaimed back, not quite sure how to explain his worry. So many things could go wrong while he was away and for some reason it didn’t help that he knew that Dick could take care of himself. He’d seen Dick fight and Dick had thrown him over his shoulder to the river that one time. 

“Just relax, nothing's going to happen. I know that Gotham’s a mess right now, but it’s far enough that we don't have to worry about that,” Roy said, shrugging. 

“Gotham’s what now?” Jason asked, turning to face his friend. 

Roy’s eyes were wide for a moment before he chuckled awkwardly. 

“Well, I thought you guys knew. None of the merchants said anything?” 

“Roy," Jason growled, urging him to elaborate. 

“Luthor invaded Gotham, what, a couple of months ago? I think it’s still an ongoing war but yeah, doesn’t look too good for Gotham at the moment,” Roy explained, running his hand through his red hair nervously. 

Jason stared at him for a long moment. 

“Oh well isn’t that just great.” 

“Gotham’s miles away, at least a week's ride, and they have no reason to bother with your village,” Roy said, trying to relax him. “We’re in Bludhaven.” 

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. Roy was right. Even if there was a war going on in Gotham, it had nothing to do with them. But something about it sounded familiar and bothered him. He just couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

As the two friends made a camp for the night, Jason found himself wondering if Dick missed him as much as he missed him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo thoughts? On the chapter? Jason finally found out about the war.


	15. Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Jason's away, the village is attacked but not by the man Dick expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to chat or ask me something? Find me on tumblr with a name harakkalintu.

The next day, Dick woke up late, the sun already high up in the sky. His head felt heavy and pounded painfully, leaving him quite disorientated. The night hadn’t gone as well as he hoped, his body refusing to fall asleep. Dick had spent the whole night tossing and turning, trying to think about anything else than Jason and how he feared that something might happen to him. The worry for his own kingdom and home still somewhat fresh in his mind did nothing to ease his fears. 

It was nearly sunrise by the time he had fallen asleep.

Rubbing his eyes with his hands, Dick slowly sat up in the bed, quick glance to his side reminding him of the empty space next to him. How was he going to make through a whole week or longer? 

Trying to ignore the hollow feeling, Dick stood up and started up his morning routine. Got clothes on, washed his face etc. He wasn’t really hungry, feeling more nauseous than hunger, so he skipped breakfast. 

_ Jason wouldn’t approve. _

There was a knock on the door as Dick was making the bed, to regain some sort of control. His heart skipped a beat at the sound, but his hope died down when he heard Selina’s familiar voice. Not that he wasn’t happy to see her. 

“Dick, hi! I got worried when you didn’t appear for lunch,” Selina explained her sudden visit, as Dick let him in. 

“Yeah, sorry. I just woke up. Couldn’t really sleep,” Dick admitted the last part quietly. 

Selina had an understanding look on her face. 

“It’s okay, I get it. Have you had anything yet?” 

“No, and I don’t think I can. Feeling a bit nauseous.” Dick said as he finished up with the bed, then gathering his nighware and folding it neatly to the foot of the bed.

“Are you coming down with something?” Selina walked over and placed her hand on Dick’s forehead.

“Doesn’t feel like fever at least.” 

“Probably just the nerves and not enough sleep,” Dick hummed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. 

Selina agreed. She walked over to the cabinets, putting down a small green bundle.

“I brought some fresh soup, heat and eat it when you feel better. Do you think that you could handle some tea?” 

“I can try,” Dick offered, giving her a small grateful smile. 

*********************************************************

Later that very same day, Dick decided to go for a small walk, hoping that the fresh air would help him clear his head. He didn’t want to bother Leslie, since he didn’t think it was anything to worry about. Just a bad day, similar to what he went through about a month ago. And maybe after the walk he’d feel like eating. 

He just reached the clearing in the middle of the village, when he heard it: the sound hoofs beating the ground, horses running, the sounds getting closer and closer. As they neared, Dick realized that there were at least five to seven. Chance of it being Jason and Roy returning early was ruled out quickly. It left only one possibility in Dick’s mind. 

_ Luthor. _

Dick hurried to the side of the clearing, between two taller buildings, out of view. He could now see a bunch of men on horses reach the entrance to the village, but something struck as odd for Dick. They weren’t wearing Luthor’s colors. In fact, they looked more like bandits or something in their dark brown and black clothes. Which didn’t make Dick feel any better. 

“Is this Waltou?” The man in the front called out. His voice was calmer and more composed than the one’s Dick and Jason had run into before. He was quite tall, lean but not weak looking. Pale hands. But his face. Dick felt like gagging when he saw it. 

The man’s face, except the eyes and small area around the man’s mouth was dark black like tar, as if his face had been covered with it and left to dry into a mask. 

Mrs Smith appeared from her house, which was right next to the entrance.

“Yes, this is Waltou,” She said calmly. Dick hoped that these men had at least a little bit of morals, to not hurt old women. 

“Well that’s great!” The man exclaimed, voice almost happy.

“We are here to burn down your lovely village!” 

  
  


*********************************************************

Jason couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. Just, something about Roy’s story about the favor and hunting wasn’t right, didn’t add up. He didn’t think that Roy was lying, more like he was lied to. 

Why hunting? Almost anyone could do that. It started to sound like a trick. 

“Roy, did they suggest that you should get help for the hunt or did you think of that yourself?” Jason asked Roy, who rode a bit ahead of him. 

Roy seemed to mull the question over or a while before answering. 

“I think… That they mentioned that I should get someone to help. Someone experienced, something about hard hunt otherwise. Why?” 

Jason bit the inside of his cheek. The feeling in his gut got worse.

“I think this might be a trap. It's a decently well known fact that we’re friends. And we both got enemies here and there from when we were knights,” Jason explained. “We should be careful.” 

Roy turned to him, nodding seriously. 

“Now that you put it like that, yeah. This feels a lot like a trap.” 

The two rode in silence for a while. When they came to a crossroad, another road going right, pretty much to the same direction where they came from, and the other going left, towards Lanera town. 

Something on the ground caught Jason’s attention. He slid off of Red, and kneeled down to take a proper look. It was hoofprints. A lot of hoof prints. Maybe seven horses. Heading right, towards…

“Shit!” Jason cursed and hopped back up, turning Red right and taking off. 

“What?!” Roy yelled after him, frowning. “What is it?!”

“It’s not a trap! It’s a distraction!” Jason shouted as he encouraged Red to gallop. He didn’t make sure that Roy was following him.

“How can you be so sure?!” Roy shouted. He soon appeared next to Jason, his own horse galloping to keep up.

“It makes sense! They knew you would come find me and that I would leave to help you!” Jason yelled over the rushing of his own ears. “What’s a better way to get revenge than destroy the village, when we refused to do so!” They had to be knights of Bludhaven.

Jason could hear Roy curse next to him, but he forced it out of his mind. Dick and everyone else he cared about were in danger. There was no question that they, whoever they were, were already there. He just had to hope that everyone managed to run away. 

It had taken them a day and half to get to the crossroad at a decent, unhurried pace. It would take them at least half a day to get back if they kept up this speed. 

_Please be safe please be safe pleasepleaseplease!_

*********************************************************

Dick was thrown inside the shed like a sack of potatoes. His hands were tied behind his back, so tight it hurt. His ankles were tied too and a rag in his mouth preventing him from speaking, only muffled sounds could be heard. His ribs ached from the kicks and punches he hadn’t been able to avoid but he was quite sure nothing was broken, just bruised. 

“Thank you for your assistance, Mr Davis. You’ve been a great help in our quest for revenge,” the black faced man at the door said to one of the older men from the village. “As a token of my appreciation, I’ll let you live and leave.” 

Mr Davis didn’t even look back even for a second, bolting away. The black face man turned to Dick, a smile on his face. 

“Wasn’t that nice of him? Everyone else refused to share their knowledge, which wasn’t very nice of them. Not to mention that the question was very easy.” 

Dick glared at the man, anger burning inside him. 

_Like the buildings are burning._

“Who to turn to, when you want to hurt Jason Todd? Such an easy question,” the man continued, shrugging. 

“Boss,” a new voice spoke from behind the man. 

“Yes?” 

“All the other villagers are gone.” 

The smile fell from the man’s face but only for a moment. He shook his head and sighed. 

“Well, it can’t be helped. This one took a while to subdue. So feisty,” the black faced man said, “we don’t need the others. He’ll come for this one.” 

“Can we have fun with him while waiting?” Another voice asked. There was a clear intention there. One that had Dick’s blood run cold and heart beat faster in his chest. 

For a moment the black faced man eyes him, smirk on his face. He knew how those words affected Dick, even though Dick tried not to show it. 

“I’m afraid not, as much as I enjoy the idea of breaking him. There’s still so much to do before they get back.” The man turned around and slammed the door of the shed shut loudly. There was a sound of the lock turning. Dick was left in the darkness, slightly relieved for a couple of reasons. At least the others were safe. The betrayal hurt but better him than Selina or anyone else. Dick could take the pain. 

Dick wasn’t sure how long he was in the shed, switching between awareness and unconsciousness. He was fairly sure that he had a concussion as well. 

As the shed turned darker and darker, Dick was sure the sun had already set. He heard voices every now and then, none of them familiar. No one had come to check up on him so far. 

Eventually the door opened and three men in dark clothes and holding wooden clubs stepped in. All of them wore crazed looks on their faces, before raising their weapons up to bring them down. 

The first hit landed on Dick’s ankle, next on his back as one of them kicked him to lay on his stomach. Dick refused to give them the satisfaction of screaming, not that he really could with the gag in his mouth. Still he could taste blood in his mouth.

Before the fifth hit could land, there was suddenly sounds of commotion somewhere further away outside. The men stopped and rushed off, shutting the door behind them. 

Dick let himself go limp on the grounds, pain burning his whole body. He felt lightheaded and it was hard to breath.

_ I wonder what that commotion was all about… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's such a short chapter, wanted something out today :D


	16. I Was Made For Lovin' You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Roy reach the village and confront an old enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name inspired by a band called KISS and their song with a same name.

A man fell to the ground hard, as Jason slammed the hilt of his sword against the back of the man’s head. Two more men replaced him, coming at him with raised swords while shouting. Some of the men attacking them were more coordinated than others. Still they were all way too easy for Jason to defeat. 

Jason and Roy had seen the smoke long before they saw the village. At least three pillars of smoke raised from the village and the fire colored the sky orange. Without a word both of them encouraged their already tired steeds to go faster. They weren’t far and all Jason could think was Dick.

_ I’ll tear them apart if they’ve hurt him. _

As soon as they had reached the village, they had seen ragged men at the entrance with weapons. They didn’t seem to have expected them, as they yelled in surprise. But Jason didn’t stop to listen. He wasn’t going to show any mercy. 

From the top of his horse, Jason managed to cut down a few men with his sword. Then he slid down to fight, not wanting Red to get caught in it. From the corner of his eye he saw Roy pull out his bow and strike men down with his arrows. Being on his horse gave him an advantage as an archer. The shots weren’t fatal but took them down nevertheless.

Parrying the sword swung at him, Jason disarmed another man and cut his knees open, before kicking him down. The other one hesitated but Jason didn’t. Dodging the fist coming for him, Jason kicked the man in the stomach, sending him flying across the ground. 

He heard someone try to catch him off guard from behind but before he could do  anything, the man fell down with a dull thud. Jason glanced behind, seeing an arrow stick out of the man's thigh. Roy gave him a salute and then aimed and fired at another one. Jason turned back and gave the rest of the men his full attention. 

*********************************************************

As the two made it to the clearing in the middle of the village, they found more men and among them, a familiar face. 

“Black mask,” Jason growled, holding his sword in front of him, pointed at the black faced man. Jason and Roy had ran into him as knights, ruining his plans to take over Bludhaven. That was years ago and neither of them had ran into him in after. He was easy to recognize with his face the way it was.

“Todd, Harper. You’re a bit ahead of the schedule but I guess that’s fine,” Black mask said, shrugging. “No need to delay the inevitable.” 

“What have you done to the villagers?!” Jason shouted, seething with anger. If he as much as cut a single hair from any of them… If he laid a hand on  _ Dick _ . Jason wouldn’t feel bad about killing him at all. 

“I think that the question you should be asking is, ‘ _ where is my husband?  _ ’ Don’t you think?” Black mask asked, a sick smirk on his face.

Roy could barely hold Jason back from charging at the man. A rational part of him  knew that running straight into the fight wouldn’t do him any good but that part was blocked by the rage. Rage that had his whole body trembling, itching to break every bone in Black mask’s body and let all the blood flow out, color the dirt red. He could hear his own heart beat fast in his ears. His mouth was dry and his jaw hurt from how hard he was clenching it. 

“Now, getting angry solves nothing, am I right?” Mask hummed, smug face telling of how much he enjoyed Jason’s reaction. “It’s not like there’s anything you can do for him anymore.” 

Roy couldn’t hold him back anymore, or maybe he had let go of him on purpose. Jason didn’t care, as he tore through the men trying to stop him from reaching their leader. Arrows rained past him, taking out some of the men. Jason eyes were solely focused on Black mask.

As Jason closed in on Black mask, the man pulled out a sword, and parried Jason’s strike. Jason dodged the attempt to slice his neck, and went for Mask’s legs, but he was too fast, avoiding him. 

Their dangerous dance lasted for long enough for Jason to lose all sense of time. He didn’t feel tired but his movements were slowing down, unlike Mask's. But nothing could stop Jason from continueing the fight. 

Jason was too tunnel visioned to notice Mask’s own archer aim at him from the side. 

Pain shot through his left shoulder. Jason grunted, losing his balance for a moment. Long enough for Mask to manage to clash their swords together hard enough for Jason to lose his grip on it and fall on his knees. The sword clattered on the ground and before Jason could dive for it, Mask had the tip of his sword right under his jaw, dangerously close to his skin.

“Rage. Good motivator but also terrible for concentration,” Black mask said, shaking  his head with pity. “Now you’ll end up like your lover.”

Jason snarled at him, baring his teeth. 

“Oh please, you’re a savage now?” Black mask rolled his eyes. 

Jason’s snarl turned into a wicked grin.

“Nah, just a distraction."

There was a shadow over them, and then Mask was pummeled across the clearing as a huge malet hit him with a strength that rivaled that of the strongest men. 

“Leave our Jay alone!” Harley yelled, breathing heavily as she glared at the enemies around them. 

“Thanks Harley,” Jason chuckled, letting her pull him up on his feet. “Knew that mallet would come in handy again one day.” 

“Damn right!” Harley said, a feral grin on her face. “Sorry it took so long to find it, and Ivy had to find her spear.” 

“Nah, you’re right on time,” Jason said and grabbed his sword from the ground. 

Said red headed woman, Ivy, walked over to them with Selina, who was holding a long whip in her hands. 

“Shall we?” Selina asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yeah.” Jason nodded and turned to the remaining men. "Let's kick their asses.

*********************************************************

As the dust cleared, all of the Black mask’s men down and securely tied, Jason turned to the three women and his best friend. Now that the adrenaline was fading, he felt tired. And he remembered what got him so mad in the first place.

“Dick...? Is he... ?” Jason asked, worried and fear curling in his stomach painfully. 

“We don’t know,” Selina said, eyes sad. “All we know is that he took him, but he must be somewhere here.” 

Jason nodded. 

“I- I have to find him.”

“You’re hurt,” Ivy pointed out, and gestured to the arrow sticking out of his shoulder.

“It has to wait,” Jason snapped, already moving away, ignoring their voices. 

_ Think! Where would they keep him? _ Jason thought. Behind him, Selina, Roy, Harley and Ivy went their separate ways to look for Dick.  _ Or his body. _

Jason didn’t want to think about that. Black mask had said that, but Jason didn’t want to believe him. Then his eyes landed on a shed, not too close to the clearing and a bit of out of view. It felt like a good start.

Upon a closer look, Jason noted that it was locked, which was odd. They didn't have locks like that.

“Do any of them have a key?!” Jason called out to Roy, who was still close to the tied up men. Roy heard him, and started to look for one, going through their pockets. Then Jason could see him hold up something and start running towards him. 

“Here, try this.” 

Jason grabbed the key and just like that, the lock clicked open. Pushing the door open hurriedly, heart beating hard in his chest, Jason stepped in. 

Relief filled him, like an avalanche rushing through him, as he saw Dick lying on the floor, unconscious but alive, his chest raising and falling. There was dried blood on his temple and his right ankle was bent in an odd angle, swollen and purple. He guessed that there were more bruises underneath his clothes.

Jason kneeled down next to him and carefully pulled Dick in his arms, supporting his neck and head. He seemed so pale. 

“Dicky? Pretty bird, wake up, please,” Jason pleaded quietly. Gently, he cupped Dick’s cheek, thumb caressing the soft skin. “Please, please Dicky.” 

Dick eyes fluttered open, blue eyes peering up at his teal ones. Jason let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. It was like all feeling had returned into his numb limbs. 

“Hey there,” Jason said, a small smile froming on his face. Dick returned it, but it was shaky and tired. 

“Hey you too.” 

“Roy went to get help, you’re going to be alright,” Jason murmured, placing a gentle kiss on Dick’s forehead. Dick let out a small pleased hum, as he snuggled against Jason’s chest. When he looked back up, his gaze wandered somewhere behind Jason.

“Why’s there… An arrow on your shoulder?” Dick asked, slightly frowning. 

Jason let out a small laugh. Without adrenaline, the wound hurt but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. 

“Don’t worry about it.” 

“How can I not?” Dick pouted. “You’re hurt.” 

“So are you,” Jason said and pressed their foreheads together. He could feel his own body tremble but he wasn’t sure if it was because of the bloodloss, exhaustion or relief. 

_ Dick’s alive. He lied. Dick’s alive.  _

“Jay...?” Dick whispered. Hand softly brushed Jason’s cheek. With a trembling hand, Jason took Dick’s hand into his and kissed his knuckles, before just pressing it against his own face.

“I- I thought that I lost you… ” Jason said, voice barely a whisper. Dick heard it nevertheless, eyes softening.

“I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere.” 

Jason nodded shakily, and pressed a soft kiss to Dick’s lips. It was just a gentle press of lips, but it made butterflies flutter in Dick’s stomach all the same.

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fighting, this time it felt a bit easier to write it! And some more soft boys <3   
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Leave a comment if you did!<3


	17. I'm Out Of Hiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of the attack on the village. 
> 
> Title is from the song Ghosting by Mother mother. Really good song, I recommend.

Dick let out a deep breath, feeling content and warm,  _ safe _ , as he laid on the bed in Jason’s arms. He was still sore all over and tired, but right now none of that mattered. All he cared about was the caring hand drawing circles just above his hip under the covers and the sound of Jason’s heartbeat under his head. It felt good to sleep next to Jason, even though they had been apart for only one night.

Morning light spilled in from between the curtains, sounds of villagers getting back to work low and comforting hum in the background. The damage done to the buildings wasn't as bad as they had feared, only few buildings had suffered burns and nothing valuable was lost. Everyone was alive and well. 

When Jason learned about Mr Davis betraying them by giving Dick away to Black mask, he wasn’t happy. If Roy hadn’t held him back and Dick tried to calm him down with his words, Jason would have attacked him. The man was clearly ashamed of himself, and apologized sincerely. It was enough for Dick. Mrs Smith had been ready to banish him but Dick vouched for him, reasoning that he’d done what he felt was right for the safety of his family and everyone in the village. In the end he got to stay but he had to earn the trust of the others, which they all felt was fair. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Jason asked, voice hoarse from sleep, kissing Dick’s temple. 

“You’re warm,” Dick hummed burying his face against Jason’s uninjured shoulder. They had switched sides for the sake of cuddling, since Jason’s left shoulder had been injured. 

Leslie had made them both promise to take it easy for the next couple of days. Jason had tried to protest, wanting to help with rebuilding but one look at Dick’s pleading eyes had him staying in bed to cuddle with his husband. 

Dick had bruised ribs, not that bad head injury and his right ankle had been dislocated, now reset. Luckily nothing had broken. Jason had a few bruises from the fight against Black mask’s men but nothing else aside the arrow to the shoulder. 

“Are you feeling cold?” Jason asked, sounding a lot more awake. Dick felt bad for making him worry so much. 

“Nah. I just like the extra heat.” 

“Okay. Tell me if you do. Or if there’s anything else.” 

“I will, Jaybird,” Dick said and smiled, pressing his lips to the bare skin on Jason’s shoulder. 

  
*********************************************************

Couple of days passed by quickly. Dick didn’t manage to keep Jason in for longer than two days. Then he was up and about, helping where he could. But he still spent most of the day with Dick, making sure he was healing right and getting rest, and eating properly. Selina, the traitor, had tolden him how Dick had been feeling nauseous and not like eating while he was away. 

Roy had gone to fetch knights of Bludhaven from Lanera town but had run into some on the way, so he got back quicker than expected. They agreed to come and get the goons and Black mask, which they had tied down and kept in a secured shed. Jason wanted to be there when the knights came and make sure they didn’t do anything rash or unnecessary while hauling the bad guys away. 

Dick watched from the bed as Jason hurriedly dressed up, trying to get his shirt on and then pull his boots on. 

“Jay, relax or you’ll topple over,” Dick chuckled. 

“You never know what they’ll try,” Jason said, grabbing his sword, putting it in the sheath hanging from his belt. “Stay in okay? I don’t trust them to not try and.... Do something.” Jason walked over and hurriedly kissed Dick, before heading out. 

“Bye!” Dick called after him. 

_ It’s not like I can even walk, _ Dick thought, slightly amused. Lying down again, Dick pulled the blanket up, knowing that Jason would join him again as soon as he was done with Black mask and the knights. 

*********************************************************

Jason barely managed to  _ not _ glare at the knights of Bludhaven as they marched Black mask and his men out of the village. Sure, for once they were doing their actual job, but Jason didn’t trust them. With him and Roy watching though, they didn’t seem to want to try anything. They clearly recognized two of them. 

“Good job, I guess, capturing them,” the captain of the group of knights said to him. “We’ve been looking for them for a while. 

_ Yeah, right. In other words, you have not, _ Jason thought but he didn’t say any of it outloud. Angering these guys wasn’t on his to do list today. Getting this over and going home to his husband was. Jason couldn’t stop worrying about Dick. The image of him lying on the floor of the shed haunted him everytime he closed his eyes. Only reason he managed to get any sleep was that Dick was right there next to him. 

“No problem,” Jason hummed. He wasn’t interested in talking with the captain. Luckily, neither was the captain, as the older man wandered back to watch over the escorting of the criminals. 

Finally all of the men had been lined up in the middle of the group of knights, ready to be marched to the capital, most likely, to face their sentence. Not that Jason thought that it would be a hard one. Waltou was so far away and independent that the King probably didn’t care that they caused damage to it. The man probably didn’t even know or remember that Waltou existed. 

“Thank you, good sir,” Mrs Smith thanked them, offering a small pouch of gold to the captain. Jason and Roy’s glaring from behind had the captain hesitate and refuse her offer.

“Just doing our duty,” the captain said and turned away, ordering his men and the criminals to get moving. 

“How nice of them,” Mrs Smith said with a smile and turned to Jason and Roy, who acted like they just hadn’t scared the captain into not taking the offered gold, smiles on their face and nodding along. 

“Very nice of them,” Roy said. 

“A real gentleman, that captain,” Jason added, nodding. 

Mrs Smith shook her head, fondly smiling.

“Oh you boys,” she murmured and harried them to get going. 

*********************************************************

A few days passed, buildings were rebuilt and life went back to normal. 

Dick hoped that everything would stay that way for at least a while longer. His wounds were healing nicely but he still wasn’t allowed to do almost anything. Jason kept hovering close by all the time, but Dick understood his worry. So much had happened during their time together, making it understandable why Jason would want to be by his side constantly. 

But problems came and went, new coming as the last left. Dick wondered if he was somehow at fault here. 

Dick and Jason were returning from Leslie’s once again. Dick had refused to let her come to them, claiming that he was going to start climbing up the walls if he had to stay inside any longer. Hence why Jason finally allowed him to leave the house just to go get checked at by Leslie. 

The clearing was empty but there was something happening at the entrance. Mrs Smith was talking to a bunch of knights of Bludhaven. Dick peered at them curiously from the other side of Jason, since he hadn’t actually seen them when they came to get Black mask. 

Before Dick could get a proper look, something fell over him. It was Jason’s cloak. It was a slightly colder day, despite it being summer, so they had worn them.

The cloak covered Dick and as he tried to get it off, Jason stopped him. Just as Dick was about to ask what the hell was going on, he heard a voice speak.

“Hey you two there!”

Dick and Jason stopped and waited as footsteps neared. 

“What’s with the covering?” A man’s voice asked. 

Dick was about to say something but Jason beat him to it. 

“It’s a tradition we have. Just married women have to wear cloaks over their heads in public for the first month,” Jason answered smoothly. Dick had never heard of that. 

“I see. Congratulations then.” 

“Thank you.” 

The footsteps faded as the man, knight probably, walked away. Soon they could hear hooves as the knights left the village.

“Let’s go home,” Jason murmured to Dick but he made no move to remove the cloak so neither did Dick. He was still  _ extremely _ confused about what had just happened. Hopefully Jason would explain once they got back home.

As soon as they were inside and the door was closed, Jason helped Dick to get the cloak off. 

“What was that about? I don’t remember hearing anything about such a tradition, not to mention the fact that I am a guy,” Dick asked, raising an eyebrow at Jason. 

Jason sighed and hung their cloaks next to the door. 

“Those knights weren’t from Bludhaven.” Jason turned back to him. His expression was unreadable. But Dick felt shivers run down his spine for another reason. Who were they if not from Bludhaven. 

“The blue in their armors was off, too light. And I think they were looking for someone,” Jason continued and stepped forward to Dick, placing his hands on Dick’s hips. 

“Let’s say, maybe a runaway prince form Gotham?” Jason looked down at him. 

Dick froze still, eyes wide. He opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times, like a fish out of water. There was a heavy feeling in his stomach. 

“I- You-” Dick gaped, not knowing what to say or do. 

_ He knows. He knows and I- I wasn’t the one to tell him. _

Dick felt like he was falling, suddenly feeling dizzy, which had nothing to do with his aching ankle. 

“Dick? Are- Are you okay?” Jason was suddenly asking and he cupped Dick’s cheek, worry taking over his features, eyebrows furrowing, eyes searching for something. 

“I-” Dick felt tears in his eyes. 

_ He’s going to hate me, _ a voice at the back of Dick’s head whispered. 

“Dick?! Shhh it’s okay, I’m not mad, I swear,” Jason promised hurriedly, pulling Dick close and holding him in his arms tightly. His other hand around Dick’s waist, other gently petting his hair. 

“Shhh… Everything’s okay Dicky, my pretty bird. I’m not angry,” he kept whispering comforting words and sweet nothings into his ear, pressing kisses on top of his head, his neck and shoulder. 

“I’m right here Dicky, and not going anywhere.” 

Dick pressed his face against Jason’s shoulder, body trembling as he tried to pick himself together again. 

“You mean it? You don’t hate me for it?” He asked quietly. 

“I swear I mean it,” Jason said firmly, emphasizing his words with another kiss on his temple. 

Dick let out a shaky breath and allowed himself to relax in Jason’s arms.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured quietly. 

“Don’t be. I get it. I really do.” Jason pulled back slightly so they could look at each other properly. Dick smiled at him. 

“Thank you, Jay.” 

“No problem,” Jason hummed and pressed their foreheads together. 

“It makes so much sense,” Jason laughed after a moment. “Your cluelessness about chores, fighting skills and having a nice horse like Night.”

Dick pouted at him but he wasn’t actually mad.

“I wasn’t born royal though. The story about my parents and where I was born was true. Bruce took me in since it happened in the capital of Gotham and he was there,” Dick explained. 

Jason hummed.

“Yeah, that sounded too real to be a lie.” 

Dick smiled at him. But there was o ne thing that did slightly bother Dick.

"How did you figure it out? That I'm a prince from Gotham." 

"When we were on our way to Lanera town, Roy told me about Gotham and Luthor. That's when I started to suspect that you were from there, because of what you told me about your home. The knights earlier mentioned that they were looking for a prince. Then it just kind of made sense. And you appeared around the same time Roy mentioned that the war started. I guess I was still partly guessing," Jason explained, rubbign the back of his neck, a habit Dick found kinds cute. 

“I love you,” Dick said out of blue, looking Jason in the eyes. 

“I know. And I love you too," Jason said with a fond smile, and leaned down to kiss him softly.

*********************************************************

Later that night, as they were laying on their bed, cuddled under the covers:

“I married a prince. Wow.” 

Dick laughed under his chin, placing a kiss on his neck. 

“Yup. You did.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cat's out of the bag. Did you guys like how it was done or was that too lame? 
> 
> I'll try end this fic in the next 3-4 chapters, but I try not to make it feel too rushed.


	18. Darkside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Read and find out ;) We're nearing the end game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Lot of cursing

Jason was so going to kill someone soon if this kept happening. He was getting tired of having to worry about Dick’s safety and well-being. Not that it made him love him any less, but it was starting to get old. He bet that Dick thought the same. 

Early in the morning, two days after Jason figured out that Dick was the prince of Gotham, Jason woke up to Dick getting up from the bed. He was wearing the blue long shirt he’d gotten from Selina as a wedding gift. 

“I’ll be right back,” Dick had promised, kissing Jason on the cheek, before crawling out of the bed and walking out to relieve himself.

He never came back. 

After waiting in the bed for a while, Jason had gotten up to go check up on him. He hadn’t hurried, getting dressed first and then when he went outside, Dick was nowhere to be seen. Jason asked around the neighbors but none of them saw anything. Furtstraded, Jason had returned to the house, but Dick was still nowhere to be seen. 

Gritting his teeth, Jason had grabbed his sword and hurried to find Roy and get the horses. Whoever took Dick, because someone definitely did, they couldn’t have gotten far. 

Now, Jason was riding through the forest, Roy right behind him, towards the capital of Gotham. They had searched the area around the village, until they found several hoof prints leading away. 

It had to be the guys pretending to be knights of bludhaven, who visited the village a few days ago. And if they took Dick, that had to mean that they actually worked for Luthor. It made sense. 

But there were so many problems ahead of them. First of all, it would take them a while to get to the capital. Dick mentioned that it took him a week to reach Waltou. He had stopped for nights and didn’t move that quickly during the day either, so if Jason and Roy kept moving day and night, slowing down enough to catch a few hours of sleep and rest for the horses every now and then, Jason was sure they could reach Gotham in half that time. If they were lucky, they could catch up with them and be done with it sooner.

Second, they would be against an army, unless they found a way to take Luthor himself out first. Two against an army was impossible, no matter how good fighters they were. 

Third, they were most likely going to use Dick as a hostage and if they made it to the capital before them, there was a chance they had a lot more hostages. 

And they had no idea what the situation was in Gotham at the moment, since what Roy knew was pretty outdated. They had no idea what to expect. No help. Hell, Jason had never been to the capital of Gotham. He knew nothing about the layout of the city, not to mention the castle they most likely had to sneak into.

So many things could go wrong. 

  
  


*********************************************************

Dick should have known that this was going to happen. Or well, he did but he didn’t expect them to get him so close to the house. They had taken quite a risk, capturing him when Jason was so close. But they had managed to pull it off. Jason wouldn’t notice until he’d realize that Dick was taking way too long to get back in. And then it would take him time to search the nearby area, even with Roy’s help.

Dick tried to get a feel to the ties around his wrists and around his torso, binding his arms to his sides. They were tight, his fingers already starting to feel tingly. His legs were tied too, and he’d been thrown over one of the horses, behind one of the knights. But clearly not the knights of Bludhaven. No, these were Luthor’s. 

Headache pounded painfully behind his eyes, his head feeling heavy. The knight who grabbed him used way too much strength to knock him out. The way he swayed on the back of the horse made Dick feel dizzy. It wouldn’t be surprising if he threw up. And they were going fast, probably expecting a chase. Dick really feared that he was going to fall off. 

“Keep going! They must’ve noticed by now!” The leader of the group shouted. 

“Yes sir!” The rest said in unison.  _ Creepy. _

_ I hope Jason catches up before we reach the capital.  _

*********************************************************

Jason and Roy didn’t manage to catch up. 

It took them three and half days to reach Gotham and it’s capital with the same name. The city walls were surrounded by knights, patrolling the area. The city had fallen under Luthor’s rule, and it pissed Jason off on Dick’s behalf. Who knew how many Dick’s friends the bastard had killed. Not to mention the King. 

Jason and Roy spent time sneaking around, trying to find a way in and get some intel about the situation. They couldn’t just rush in without a plan. So they split up to find information. 

As Jason circled around the main entrance, listening into the conversations and whispers, he found out a few things. The King wasn’t captured. Most of the staff was locked up in the dungeon and so was the prince. They were going to use Dick as a bait to draw the King back. 

_ Well they got another thing coming for them. _

Suddenly someone grabbed him by the back of his collar, janking him back, and a hand went over his mouth. Jason tried to elbow them, but it bounced off painfully. The person was armored. He continued to struggle, using every trick he learned as a knight but none of them seemed to work.

“Stop resisting, I’m not your enemy,” a voice Jason didn’t recognize, hissed behind him. 

Still cautious, Jason stopped and he was let go of. Turning around, Jason was standing in front of two men; a knight of Gotham, if the dark armor was anything to go by, and a man who was clearly a noble, but still armed with a very fancy looking sword.

“Who the fuck are you?” Jason asked, keeping his voice quiet. He had been dragged away from the enemies but it was always good to be cautious. 

The knight looked like he wanted to snap at him but the other man placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. 

“My name is Bruce.” 

Jason froze still. 

_ Bruce?! King Bruce Wayne?! Did I just cuss at Dick’s dad? Great first impression. _

“Oh. You’re the King, Bruce Wayne, then?” He asked. It made sense, in a way. He had just heard that he hadn't been caught. And he seemed to have his personal guard with him as well. 

“Yes. But not at the moment, like you probably have noticed.” Bruce nodded towards the city. “Who are you and what are you doing here, spying on Luthor’s army?” 

Instead of anger, there was curiocity in Bruce’s eyes, like he was trying to solve a puzzle or a mystery.

Jason wasn’t sure how much he should reveal about his reasons or about his relationship with Dick. But this meant that they had a better chance. Four was way better than two.

“Name’s Jason. Your son stayed in the village I’m from for the past months. He got kidnapped by Luthor’s men a few days ago.” Bruce’s eyes went wide at the mention of his son. 

“I’m here with a friend to help. Sorry I couldn’t stop them from taking him,” Jason added, feeling guilty. If he had just been more observant, this wouldn’t have happened and Dick would be safe. Who knew what they had done to him by now. 

“Thank you.” 

Jason’s head snapped up. He wasn’t expecting that.

“Thank you, for looking after my son. It means a lot to me,” Bruce elaborated. “We could use some help.” 

“Yeah, no problem,” Jason said, a bit stunned by the man’s words. 

"You're a knight of Bludhaven, aren't you?" The knight asked. He was eyeing Jason's sword. 

"Oh, this. Used to be, got kicked out. Wasn't enough of an asshole to it in," he explained, hoping that they believed him.

The knight and Bruce shared a look before Bruce nodded. 

"Good. Your friend?" 

"Same as me. But he's more of an archer." His answer seemed to please Bruce as he smiled a little. 

"Sounds good." 

There was rustling in the bushes near them and all three of them pulled out their swords, pointing them towards the sound.

“Just me,” Roy said as he appeared from the forest, hands up in surrender. Jason lowered his sword and turned to Bruce and his knight.

“This is Roy. The friend I mentioned just now.” 

Bruce and the knight lowered their weapons. 

“Roy, meet Bruce Wayne, the King and his knight…” Jason turned to the knight, realizing he never got a name. 

“Clark. Clark Kent,” the knight said, offering them a smile, now that they knew each other a little better.

“Clark,” Jason repeated. “So do you guys have a plan?” 

*********************************************************

As soon as they had arrived at Gotham, Dick was brought in front of Luthor. The man was sitting on  _ Bruce’s  _ throne like he owned it. Dick didn’t even try to stop growling at the man when he was shoved on his knees before it. 

“Hello Richard. You really thought that I would let you be?” Luthor asked, a smug grin on his face. He had a familiar crown on his head and the sight made Dick want to puke on his boots. 

“Fuck off Luthor! None of this belongs to you!” Dick yelled, seething with anger now that he was here. “You’re a bastard, a monster! Bald asshole!” 

Luthor laughed. 

"There's no need for names, prince Richard. I'm not going to kill you, not yet. You're perfect bite to catch your dear old dad." 

Dick's blood ran cold. _Shit._

"Go fuck yourself, you aren't even half of a King Bruce is!" 

The change was immediate. Luthor’s grin was gone and a stormy look replaced it. He nodded to the other knight holding Dick down. The man nodded back before bringing the hilt of his sword down on Dick’s head. 

When Dick woke up, he heard a soft, familiar voice speaking to him.

“Please wake up, master Dick.” 

Dick pushed himself up, leaning on his elbows, and turned towards the voice. On the other side of the bars next to him, was Alfred, the head of the staff and kind of the true ruler of Gotham as he was the only man who Bruce listened to, no matter what.

“Alfy!” Dick exclaimed happily and crawled next to the bars. 

“Oh my dear boy,” Alfred said and reached through the bars to gently pet Dick’s hair. 

Dick was fairly sure that the older man’s eyes seemed a little teary. 

“I’m fine, Alfred, just a bit of a headache.” Dick managed to sit up and lean against the bars. “Are you alright?” 

“You’re not alright, young man. You seem to have acquired quite a few hits on your head. Don’t worry over old me, I’m alright,” Alfred scolded him gently. “So are the others, before you ask,” he reassured Dick. 

Dick let out a sigh. “Thank goodness.” 

Then a realization hit him.

“Bruce?! Where’s dad?! Do you think that he is okay…?” His voice trailed off, feeling tears burn behind his eyes. 

“Relax, master Dick. Your father must be alright. I managed to buy him and sir Clark some time to escape.”

“Clark’s with him? That’s… That’s good.” Dick felt all the strength leave his body. 

“Rest, master Dick. I’m sure everything will be alright,” Alfred said, voice soothing and hand still petting his hair, lulling him to peaceful sleep. 

"I know... Jason's coming too," Dick murmured quietly, sleep taking over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Opinios on this turn of events?👀


	19. Say My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There's some tears.

Bruce did indeed have a plan. It was a rather simple plan but Jason didn’t mind that. Sure, a lot of things could go wrong but Roy and him were used to winging it. 

First, they used the secret tunnel on the south side of the castle wall, near the shore, to get inside the castle. It was the same way Bruce had told Dick to sneak out of the castle. 

That part of the plan went surprisingly easily. There were only a few guards nearby, and the four of them managed to easily take them out quietly. Hiding in a small room under the staircase, Bruce pulled out the layout of the castle. 

“We’re here. This is the way to the dungeon, where they are holding the hostages. Dick should be there too, according to the guards. Jason and Roy, you two will sneak there and free them, while Clark and I distract and try to take down Luthor,” Bruce explained, while pointing at the layout as he spoke. 

“Roy will lead everyone out the same way we came in. If it’s blocked, use this tunnel over here, it should lead you to a possible way out.” Bruce traced the route on the paper with his finger. Roy nodded, understanding his part. 

“In the meantime, Jason will sneak up to the balcony above the throne room and take out the guards there. They will most likely be archers so they should be easy to take down.” 

“Sounds reasonable,” Jason hummed. “And while we do all this, you fight Luthor two against who knows how many guards? Sounds a bit risky.”

Bruce nodded in agreement. 

“It is, but I believe we have a quite good chance surviving until you get back to us. Luthor is smart but quite easily distracted. And that’s exactly what we need. Now, are you ready?” 

*********************************************************

Dick had mixed feelings about his current situation. 

It sucked to be caught, trapped in the dungeons while he had no idea about what was going on up there or if someone was coming for them. Not to mention the cells weren’t very comfortable with only hay on the floor to soften it. They were given very little food and only a necessary amount of water each day. 

Only positive thing Dick found in the situation was that he got to see Alfred and some of his friends from the castle. Across the hall, in a small cell, was Stephanie, one of the younger maids. In the cell next to hers, was Timothy, only son of Jack and Janet Drake, who were notable nobles of Gotham. Timothy visited the castle often, and was kinda like a little brother to Dick. 

Turned out, his parents had been killed by Luthor’s men and Tim was taken as a hostage. Dick wished he could pull the boy into a tight hug. He was so going to talk Bruce into taking him in.

There were other familiar faces too but their cells were too far away to hold a conversation. Dick tried shouting but one of the guards threatened to stab him if he didn’t stop. So he mostly could talk with Alfred, Steph and Tim. He told them about Waltou and though feeling a bit shy, about Jason and their relationship.

“It’s just… He’s so kind and caring,” Dick said, face red but his smile was fond.

“I’m very happy for you, master Dick,” Alfred told him, squeezing his shoulder through the bars. 

“He sounds like a cool guy,” Steph agreed from her cell. “But if he hurts you, or worse, doesn’t show up, I’m going there to beat his ass.” Tim agreed with her. 

“Thank you.” Dick fell asleep dreaming about Jason that night. 

*********************************************************

Dick wasn’t sure how long had been in the dungeon. He was sitting on the floor, trying to think of a way out. Steph and Tim were whispering something to each other on the other side and Alfred too, seemed to be lost in his thoughts. 

Suddenly there were sounds of commotion coming from the staircase, startling all of them. A guard fell down the stairs, and before the only guard on their level could do anything, an arrow went through his shoulder, and he was knocked out by someone real fast. 

“That was easy,” a familiar voice spoke chiperly but Dick didn’t pay them any attention. Instead his eyes were glued to the man who had knocked the guard down. 

“Jason!” Dick exclaimed, standing up and hurrying to the cell door, sticking his arms through to pull the taller man closer. He could feel tears running down his cheeks but he couldn’t care less. Because Jason was here! _He came for me!_

“Dick!” Jason grinned, and he came easy, his own arms wrapping around Dick’s waist despite the bars. “You’re alright,” Jason whispered, relief clear on his face. 

“I’m okay,” Dick whispered back. “You came.” 

“Of course I did.” 

Roy cleared his throat behind Jason, breaking the soft moment.

“Sorry to interrupt your touching reunion, but I got the keys here, if you know, want the bars off between you two.” 

Jason rolled his eyes but stepped back, letting Roy open the door, before he hurried to s othe same to all the other cell doors. As soon as the bars were gone, Dick threw himself on Jason, arms around his neck and face pressed to his neck. He breathed in his familiar scent, making him feel like he was home again. 

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too. Sorry it took so long,” Jason murmured against his hair. Both of them were oblivious of their audience, lost in their own little bubble.

“Jay, not the time to get distracted,” Roy reminded him. “I’ll get the people out, you go to the King like planned.” 

Jason gave him a firm nod, letting go of Dick. Eyes wide, Dick stared at them.

“Bruce is here?” Jason turned to him and nodded.

“Distracting Luthor with Clark the knight. Roy will get you guys out, I’m going to back them up.” 

“I’m coming too,” Dick said, determined. He had been pushed away once from a fight, he wouldn’t allow it to happen again. 

“No, you’re not. You’re going with the others.” Jason’s voice was stern, but his eyes were pleading. “Please, Dicky. I know you can defend yourself, but please, please go with Roy and the others.” 

“No. I’m coming with you.” This was one battle Dick wasn’t going to back out from. He wanted to help and he didn’t want to get separated from Jason again.

Jason took a deep breath and turned to Alfred. 

“Alfred, right? Any way you can change his mind?” He asked. 

Alfred gave him a apoletic look. 

“I’m afraid not. He's rather stubborn, like his father.” Dick took great pride in that. 

Jason sighed.

“Your dad won’t ever let me marry you for real if something happens to you, you know?” 

Dick blushed. He might have _not_ mentioned that part. He could feel Alfred, Steph and Tim’s eyes on the back of his head.

“He’ll get over it. _If_ I were to get hurt.” 

Jason didn’t seem confident but he grabbed one of the guard’s swords and handed it to Dick. 

“Fine, let’s go kick ass.” 

*********************************************************

Getting to the balcony was easy and Jason had to admit, letting Dick come with him was a good idea, kinda, as he had already forgotten how to get to the balcony.

They hid behind the pillars, just on the edge. There were five guards on the balcony, all of them holding crossbows and pointing them down. From below, Dick and Jason could hear voices. 

“This conversation has been enlightening, but I’m getting tired of it. You can’t fight me, if you care about your loyal little subjects and that brat,” Luthor spoke, his voice slightly muffled by the distance. 

“Maybe I should have that brat killed, right now. He insulted me quite rudely earlier.” 

Dick swore he could hear Bruce growl. 

Dick’s attention was caught by Jason, who signaled him to move. They had to take the archers down. Dick nodded.

First two were easy to take down. Unfortunately the three left noticed them, but before they could yell or make a sound, Jason had two of them down, hard, and Dick got the last one. Jason gave him a grin. Dick felt the adrenaline thrum in his veins, and grinned back at him. 

Slowly, the two of them sneaked closer to the edge. Peering down, they could see the trio below. Luthor was standing, a sword in his hand. Bruce was pointing his own at him, Clark securing his back. There was three guards at the door to the throne room, and two on each side of Luthor, ready for a fight.

Jason took out a small white pebble and dropped it down. As soon as it landed, Bruce darted forward towards Luthor. None of the guards could stop him but Luthor managed to parry him barely. Clark kept the three guards behind them at bay. 

Before Dick could react, Jason jumped over the railing and landed on the floor between the two fights, rolling to soften the landing. The drop wasn’t high but Dick wouldn’t even think about dropping down that way. He could feel his heart skip a beat. Quickly, he took the stairs down to the throne room. 

When Dick made it, he found Clark fighting two guards, Jason against four, just barely managing to keep them away from Bruce, who was engaging Luthor in a fight. Dick hurried to help Jason, slashing his sword across one of the men’s arms, making his drop his sword. Quick strike square on the guard's face made him drop down. 

“What were you thinking?!” Dick exclaimed as he fought side by side with Jason. 

“What do you mean?!” Jason asked innocently. 

“You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Dick!? What are _you_ doing here?!” They could hear Bruce yell from where he was fighting. 

“Helping!” Dick called back, and turned back to continue the fight, parrying and dodging swords, catching a knight before he could sneak up on Jason. Jason soon returned the favor, the two of them fighting in perfect sync.

*********************************************************

Only two guards were left, both at Luthor’s side now. Bruce stood at the front, Clark on his right, Dick and Jason slightly behind them but prepared.

“This is ridiculous! By now all the hostages are dead!” Luthor roared. 

“Nah, don’t think so,” Jason said with a smug smirk. “How do you think he got here?” He pointed at Dick. 

Luthor was seething with rage, his calm facade shattered and gone.

“KILL THEM!” 

Bruce and Clark lunged forward, Clark taking the guards down, while Bruce went for Luthor. Behind them, Dick was about to follow, but suddenly a guard rushed down from the stairs leading to the balcony, swinging his sword at him. Dick couldn’t dodge, not when he was on the move and noticed the man too late.

But the pain never came. 

Dick felt his heart stop for a moment, eyes wide. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t think, he couldn’t breath.

 _“JASON!”_

Without registering any of it, Dick managed to take the guard down, maybe more violently than necessary, before hurrying to Jason, who was lying on the floor on his back, hands pressed to his stomach. Bright red bled through his fingers, soaking his shirt, and short gasps leaving his mouth irregularly. 

“Jason, Jay, please look at me, you have to stay with me!” Dick pleaded as he cupped Jason’s cheeks briefly, before pressing his own hands over Jason’s, trying to stop the bleeding. 

“ _Stay,_ please!” 

Jason raised his head slightly, looking Dick in the eyes.

“I’m-” Jason coughed, then again, before managing to speak. “I’m fine.” 

Tears fell down Dick’s cheeks like two glistening rivers. “Don’t speak, _just stay awake_ ,” Dick commanded. “You’re going to be alright, I promise.” 

Jason gave him a fond smile. Dick was reminded of all the times he woke up next to him, wearing that same soft smile on his face as he looked at Dick with his beautiful teal eyes. Eyes that were slowly closing. _I love you_ , went unsaid but it was still heard.

“Jason! No, nononono Jason, I love you, please stay with me! I know it hurts but you have to stay awake!” Dick cried. 

Figure appeared next to him, and Dick almost lashed out, but he recognized them as Alfred. 

“Everything is going to be alright,” Alfred said with a calm and even voice. 

Dick gaped at him, before nodding and allowing Bruce to pull him away, to let Alfred and Steph, who was also there, to treat Jason. He knew that they could be trusted. But it didn’t stop the painful worry in his gut or the tears rolling down. 

Bruce turned him gently around and pulled him into a tight and warm hug.

“Everything is going to be alright,” he repeated Alfred's words, and Dick let himself relax and cry in his father’s arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo what you guys thinking after tonights chapter? Please don't hate me, I love you guys!<3
> 
> Epilogue chapter left!


	20. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue: Dick and Jason have some decisions to make.

The whole castle and the town around it was filled with life, after months of oppression by Luthor’s army. Marketplace was full, stalls were up and people wandered from stall to stall while shopkeepers yelled about their goods and offers. Wandering merchants were allowed back within city walls again and to put up their own shops. Farmers hauled their animals with ropes, to sell them for a good price, or with sacks of grains or flour on their shoulders.

It was a beautiful day, but Dick couldn’t find it in himself to enjoy it. He knew he should but it was hard, even after all that had happened. He stood by a window in a random corridor, on one of the highest floors of the castle. It was around noon, and Dick had spent the whole morning walking around the halls, trying to understand that the war was over, he was home and people he loved were here, safe and sound. 

Except the one he loved the most. Jason was still to wake up, after he took the sword to his stomach for Dick two days ago. His fever ran high, lowering once in a while, only to raise again within a few hours. Alfred said it was due to infection. The guard’s sword hadn’t been the cleanest and something had made its way into Jason's blood. 

Only good thing Alfred has said was that the sword missed all of the important organs and the old man believed that Jason would be alright. But Dick couldn’t shake the fear away, not until Jason woke up. Dick had spent most of the time next to him, once they had moved Jason to an empty room close to Dick’s bedchamber. This morning, after Dick had had breakfast with Bruce and Tim, who Bruce took in and gave a place in the castle, Alfred hadn’t let him in. He reasoned that Dick could use some fresh air and he'd be allowed back in around afternoon unless something changed. 

Dick sighed heavily, leaning on his hands, still staring out of the window. 

“Wow, it almost looks like there’s a stormy cloud over your head,” a familiar voice spoke next to him. Dick startled, nearly punching Roy. 

“Roy! Sorry, are you okay?” Dick asked the read head, relaxing his body. 

“I’m good, don’t worry about it! Should have known better than to sneak up on you,” Roy laughed it off. “Seriously Dick, you haven’t changed a bit.” 

Dick raised an eyebrow at that, before narrowing his eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean? We haven’t known each other for that long.” 

Roy had a knowing look on his face. 

“Does the name Queen ring any bells?”

Eyes wide, Dick gaped at him. Of course it did. The King of Star kingdom was Oliver _Queen_. A good and fair man, who had visited Gotham multiple times since Dick was little. And once he had brought his ward…

“You… You’re royalty,” Dick said, “You’re King Oliver’s son. You visited here once when I was nine.”

“Yup, sure did. And had a small duckling following me around the whole week.” Roy laughed again, patting Dick’s shoulder as the younger tried to comprehend what he had just remembered. How had he not realized it sooner? 

“Oh. I remember that.” Dick blushed, embarrassed. He had admired the older boy a lot and wanted to befriend him. They had spent a lot of time exploring the castle and its secret tunnels. But he never saw him again after that for some reason. 

“Why’d you leave Star?” Dick found himself asking, curious. 

Roy shrugged.

“Being royal wasn’t my thing. Olly wasn’t happy about it at first but things were fine the last time I stopped by. Can’t go completely off the map, Dinah, his Queen is the best so I make sure to swing by when I can.”

Dick smiled at that. He totally got what Roy meant, since like him, he was adopted by the King of a kingdom. It wasn’t easy to get used to rising to the top of the hierarchy. But it was nice to hear that Roy kept in contact with them. 

“Oh, right, I was supposed to tell you something. That’s why I was looking for you,” Roy suddenly said. 

“What is it?” 

“Jay’s awake,” Roy said with a knowing smirk. 

Dick punched his shoulder as he ran past him. 

“You should’ve started with that!” 

“You’re welcome!” Roy just shouted after him. 

*********************************************************

When Dick pushed the door open, his eyes immediately landed on teal ones, still slightly hazy with sleep or fever. Jason was sitting up, two big plush pillows behind his back, so he could comfortably lean back on them. Alfred was standing on the other side of the bed, but Dick’s eyes were on Jason and no one else.

Relieved, Dick ran across the floor and climbed on the huge bed, momentum almost making him fall on top of Jason. He cupped his cheeks, caressing the slightly damp skin. 

“Jason!” Dick smiled, eyes watering a little bit. His heart beat fast in his chest. It felt like he could breathe again without sharp thorns in his lungs and throat. Dick’s home was finally complete. 

“Hey Dicky,” Jason said, his voice low and hoarse, but he was smiling as well. “Can’t get rid of me that easily-,” Jason joked but was interrupted by Dick’s lips on his. It was soft, emotional and caring. A ‘welcome back’ kind of kiss. 

“Never ever do that again,” Dick whispered, resting his forehead against Jason’s. His skin still felt a bit warm but healthier color had returned to his face. 

“Can try,” Jason hummed, promising nothing. He would never regret saving Dick, even if it meant pain and wounds for himself. He would do it again and again.

Dick was displeased with his answer, frowning for a second, but let it be for now. They could come back to it later. At the moment he just wanted to hold Jason and make sure he was alright and comfortable. 

“I’m just so, so happy that you’re alright. You scared me.” 

“I know, and I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to.” 

Smiling, Dick curled to Jason’s side, head on his shoulder and arm over his chest, as far away from the wound as possible, caressing the space between his neck and shoulder.

“Boots, master Dick,” Alfred reminded him, but there was a hint of amusement there. Seepish, Dick crawled off long enough to get rid of the boots, before he was back by Jason’s side. 

“Sorry Alfy,” Dick said and gave his grandfather an apologetic look. It was met with a small, understanding smile. 

“I’ll leave you two alone for now. But I’m sure master Bruce would like to share a few,I believe positive, words with both of you.” Alfred then disappeared out of the door, closing it behind himself.

Dick felt rather than heard Jason sigh heavily. Curious, he raised his head to look at the younger man. 

“Your dad’s going to let me heal, and then kill me himself, isn’t he?” 

“What makes you think that?” Dick asked. He received an unamused look from Jason.

“I married his son for convenience, though I did end up loving you for real, and I cussed at him when we met. Not to mention the fact that I’m from Bludhaven and used to be a knight there, with a somewhat dubious past.” 

Dick rolled his eyes but the image of Jason swearing at Bruce was hilarious. 

“But you also kept me safe and took care of me for months, love me, helped to free me and the hostages, and took a sword for me,” Dick pointed out. “And I already told him all that. And trust me, if he didn’t like you or didn’t approve of our relationship, he would have thrown you out right away.” 

“How assuring. He still has time to change his mind.” 

“No he doesn’t,” Dick said and placed a kiss on Jason’s jaw. 

*********************************************************

Later that evening, Bruce came to visit them. He had also asked Roy to join them. Dick was fairly sure that he just wanted to thank them in some way or something like that. But with Bruce, you just never knew what was coming. 

“First of all, I would like to thank you both, Jason and Roy, for your help with freeing the hostages and taking Luthor down. You’re both quite skilled and brave men, I can see that,” Bruce started. “For that I would like to reward you both generously, with whatever you can think of. Within reason, of course.” 

Jason and Roy shared a look and then Jason glanced at Dick, a silent question in the air. Dick gave him a thumbs up, knowing that Bruce meant what he said.

“Do we have to answer now or do we get to raincheck?” Roy asked. 

“You don’t have to say now, take your time.” Bruce nodded. 

“I know what I want,” Jason announced. Bruce raised an eyebrow and there was a curious glint in his eyes. 

“Go ahead.” 

Jason took a deep breath. 

“I would like to have Dick’s hand in marriage for real, within Gotham’s laws and with your permission.” 

Dick gasped but he could feel happy tears burn behind his eyes. He had to admit that he was a bit surprised by Jason’s request, in a good way, and it was very sweet of Jason to ask. Not that Dick wouldn’t marry him properly, no matter what Bruce said. They hadn’t had any kind of wedding ceremony or anything back in Waltou and Dick had often dreamed of one. 

Bruce’s eyes widened for a second but then there was an amused look on his face. 

“I believe that was given. But I appreciate you asking,” Bruce said. “You have Alfred’s and my blessing.” 

Jason smiled and thanked him, before turning to Dick. 

“Richard ‘Dick’ John Grayson-Wayne, will you marry me? For real this time and add one more name to your already long name?”

Dick didn’t even try to hold back the tears anymore. He wrapped his arms around Jason’s neck and hugged him tight. 

“Yes, yes, of course! Of course I'll marry you Jason Peter Todd!” Dick cried, feeling so immensely happy that he was a bit lightheaded.

“Thank you,” Jason whispered and hugged Dick back just as tight. 

*********************************************************

After a bit over a week of healing, Jason was allowed to get up and about for the first time since he was injured. To let him stretch his legs, Dick took him on a little tour of the castle. Bruce had asked them, if they wished to stay here in Gotham and the castle, or Waltou. He would be okay with whatever they decided to choose. The castle had enough room for them, so much that they could practically feel like they lived in a whole different place. Getting them their own smaller place was also a choice. 

The two hadn’t been able to choose just yet, wanting to take their time. Of course they could always change if they wanted to. Jason wanted to visit Waltou before making any decisions. Not to mention that they should let everyone there know that they were alright, and Dick wanted to invite some of them, especially Selina, Leslie, Hunith and her family, and Raven to their wedding in Gotham. 

Some pros about the castle was safety, Dick would be able to have his family and friends close and the huge library that Jason wanted to go through no matter what. Jason was also curious about Gotham in general and about its rugged landscape. 

Cons of course were that Jason’s few friends and family would be left in Waltou. And the town would be left without a protector. When Jason mentioned that within Bruce’s hearing range, the man immediately offered to help. He knew some good and reliable people who could move there and take over Jason’s position. 

After Alfred deemed Jason well enough to travel, Dick, Jason and Roy headed for Waltou. Bruce had given them an extra horse to carry supplies so they could travel comfortably. Jason and Roy had almost declined, thinking it was too much, but Dick made them change their minds.

“Have a safe trip,” Bruce told them at the front gates as they left. Alfred and Tim were there too, to see them off.

“Thanks B! We’ll be back soon!” Dick called back, waving at them.

Trip to Waltou went by quickly and easily enough. As soon as they got to the entrance, they were welcomed back with open arms. Selina hugged them all, happy to see them well. When she heard about Jason’s injury, she started to lecture him, but after Dick told her how he got hurt, her glare softened.

“Oh you little,” Selina said and pulled Jason into another hug. She also made sure that Dick knew that it wasn’t his fault. 

After they had been welcomed, Dick told them the truth about himself and what exactly had happened. Everyone was surprised and almost bowed to him but Dick quickly assured them that there wasn't a need for that.

“I’m not your prince,” he said. 

“Oh please, what good has Bludhaven ever done for us? Nothing, I say!” Mrs Smith said. “Your King is even offering us protection in case you two decide to stay in Gotham,” she added. 

“Which we all think you should do!” Hunith said. People around her hummed in agreement. 

“Jason, you have done so much good for us and this village. Now, we want  _ you _ to be happy and safe with your soon-to-be husband,” Leslie piped in, setting her hands on Jason's shoulders, an earnest look on her face. “You’ve earned it. We will be fine and would love to take up on the King’s offer.” Another chorus of agreeing hums echoed behind her.

Jason was touched. He hadn’t expected this kind of gratitude from the villagers. He had to actually fight to keep the tears at bay. Not that anyone would have minded a few tears. His voice did waver a bit when he spoke.

“Thank you, all of you.” 

Next to him, Dick gave him a bright smile. “I guess we’re staying in Gotham, at least for now?” 

“Yeah,” Jason hummed and kissed Dick’s forehead. 

Finally, they had their happily ever after. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a journey this has been! I had so much fun with this fic and I am so grateful for anyone who read this, and stayed until the end. Thank you all for your kind and encouraging comments and kudous, they mean the world to me<3 
> 
> I'd appreciate some last comments and thoughts on this<3 Anything I could have done differently, what did you like the best etc?
> 
> I have some plans for Xmas so stay tuned! Also feel free to come and chat with me on tumblr, @harakkalintu !

**Author's Note:**

> If your interested and want more, comment so that I'll know! Please and thank you!❤


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